Class A
by labellebeaucoup
Summary: Haunted by the demons of her past and chasing the only solace that she has managed to find, Olivia spirals out of control. The longer she is left to her devices, the harder it is to pull her from the dark path she has started down.
1. Too Cold Outside

**A/N: This isn't a cupcakes and rainbows fic. There are elements in this story that many people are uncomfortable with and the Olivia that I have chosen to write isn't the Olivia that many fanfics and the show have made us comfortable with. Consider yourselves warned. As a side note, this story was inspired by Ed Sheeran's "The A Team".**

 _ **Class A**_

 _ **Chapter One:**_

 _ **Too Cold Outside**_

 **New York City, January 2013 –**

Large, fluffy snowflakes slowly drifted through the dark, night sky to the sidewalk below. Bright lights twinkled, lighting up the city that never sleeps. Even in the dead of the night, throngs of people travelled the grey, grimy sidewalks that were slowly losing ground to the snow raining down on them. A strong gust of wind whipped the long coats of the people on the sidewalk, causing them to pull their warm coats closer to their bodies and hurry their steps in search of a warm building somewhere.

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle under the city skyline, no one noticed the thin, pale face of a young girl huddled against a brick wall in a dark, dirty alley. The small woman-child sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, her knotted, midnight hair nearly covering her face. Large, hungry brown eyes stared longingly out into the street. The girl pushed the nest of hair out of her face as she noticed a pair of shiny, black Oxfords come to a halt in front of her. She slowly lifted her head and looked up into the face of yet another successful businessman who, like the others, probably couldn't find happiness at home. Either that or his wife wasn't willing to do what _he_ wanted. Those were the only reasons men like that ever came to this part of the city.

"Two-hundred okay?" The man tossed the offer out as if this were an everyday occurrence for him, flashing the cash in front of her eager eyes.

The girl shook her head ever so slightly. Two-hundred would get her through another day. She hadn't had much work in the past week and the withdrawal was slowly killing her, torturing her. Her insomnia had gotten the best of her since the last time she had managed to feed her addiction, nearly four days ago.

"Meet me in the restroom of the restaurant across the street," the man ordered, turning on his heel and walking away. Near the opening to the alley, he turned to call softly, "I'll give you five minutes."

The girl watched with emotionless eyes as the man left the alley, heading in direction of the restaurant he had mentioned. She knew his suggestion of a quick rendezvous in some restaurant was degrading, but the allure of her addiction was calling to her. She slowly stood, the large, baggy shirt engulfing her tiny body. She rubbed her rosy fingers together, attempting to get some blood circulating in the icy body parts. She stretched, her lithe body bending backward as her bones popped some, before she started walking toward the opening of the alley. The bright light, coming from every building within the square, caused the petite woman to squint as she was faced with it for the first time that day. She attempted to pull her large shirt closer to her body as a gale of wind barreled down the sidewalk. She lowered her head, unable to look straight with the snow blowing the way it was; blinding her.

She began slowly making her way through the crowded sidewalk, ignoring the disgusted looks of the women dressed in their finest business suits. The men were slightly more sympathetic, some even holding out change as she passed them. To each passerby who did this, she shook her head – she knew how to make her own way on the streets. She sighed as she finally neared the edge of the sidewalk, lifting her head for the briefest moment to see if the flashing sign said she could cross the street or not. She briskly walked across the slick street, lost in the crowd, as the small man began flashing on the sign. She practically jogged the last few steps to the small restaurant, placing her hand on the brass door handle and quickly yanking the heavy green door open, rushing inside. The warm air coming from inside the restaurant hit her all at once, making a satisfied smile escape from her.

One of the waitresses gave her a distasteful look, taking in the dirty clothes and hair, as she briskly walked to the back in direction of the restroom. Coming to a halt in front of the two doors in the back, she took her time staring at each before finally deciding on the one marked by a tiny male figure. She shoved the door open and stepped inside the large, single bathroom – locking the door behind her.

"A minute early, not bad," a voice said from behind her. A look of guilt flashed across the woman's face before she slowly turned around to face the man.

"What do you want?" The woman casually asked, her voice a little hoarse from lack of use but holding the underlying of a melodious, sweet tone.

"Everything," the man intoned, his voice holding promise as he continued with, "What's your name, girl?"

"Names aren't necessary," the woman responded with a flat voice, placing her hands on the edge of her large shirt and tugging it over her head. She shivered as she stood before the man, completely bare from the waist up. Her large, voluptuous breasts uncovered for him to feast his eyes on.

"I need a name to call when I'm thrusting into that tight pussy of yours," the man's harsh voice demanded a name once more as a bulge began forming in his pants. His businesslike persona was fading with the ever approaching reality of satisfaction at the hands of this dirty, yet stunning girl.

"It's Olivia," she informed him, the musical name dancing off her lips as her hands moved to the buttons of her well worn jeans.

"Olivia," the man repeated, almost as if he were trying it out, "You can call me David."

"I told you: I do not need names," Olivia bit out, pushing her now unbuttoned jeans down her thin legs and kicking them aside. Her panties soon followed and she was standing completely naked in front of David.

"Too bad for you that I happen to love names," David returned, hinting at the fact that she wouldn't be paid in full if she didn't use names.

"Whatever," she mumbled under her breath as she moved toward David, placing her hands on his shoulders to propel herself a few inches on her tip-toes before roughly forcing her mouth on his. A few seconds later, she had thrust her tongue into his mouth and was battling him for dominance. Their tongues dueled for what seemed like forever before Olivia pulled away, gasping for air as she moved her hands to the buttons of David's light grey dress shirt. She deftly undid the pearl white buttons before sliding the dress shirt from his body.

"That's a surprise," she stated upon seeing his toned, muscled chest. She hadn't been expecting that from a man like him. Instead, she had been expecting a pot belly much like those of her other patrons. Of course, David, unlike the others, appeared to be much younger. He still had a head full of jet black hair and his dark blue eyes were unmarred by the appearance of crows' feet.

"More than you expected?" David asked with a hint of a smirk in his voice. No doubt he was one of those cocky assholes she despised…or used to despise back when she was still herself; back before she had met her so called friends, stayed up late partying, and dropped out of school to pursue her addiction. She began to think of something to say, but found she couldn't. Every retort that fell on her tongue was something the old Olivia would say. She couldn't risk that. The old Olivia didn't have to worry about making money to survive from day to day – she was a straight A student on a bright path. The new Olivia was a hungry, thin woman with an addiction to feed. She had to play nice.

Deciding against opening her mouth and possibly losing a customer, she moved forward and knelt on her knees; the hard surface cold and unforgiving. She placed her hands on David's steel belt buckle, quickly undoing the piece of metal before unzipping his pants and pulling them down his body, along with his boxers. She waited patiently as he stepped out of his shoes and pants before reaching forward to grasp his hard cock in her hand. She slowly began moving her hand along his rock hard length, watching as his eyes fluttered shut and his breathing began to quicken.

"You like that?" she breathed, experience telling her exactly what to say and when to say it during situations like these.

"Fuck," he breathed as she moved forward, taking the tip of his penis into her warm mouth, twirling her tongue around his head. She moaned, despite not knowing this man and doing this on a regular basis, she felt herself getting wet for the first time in what seemed like months. Maybe it was the unusual sex appeal of this particular patron or the deep, lustful moans he was making, but she was soaking. She could feel her arousal dripping down her soft thighs. Her breathing deepened as she relaxed her throat muscles, taking him deeper in her mouth. His hands moved from his sides to her hair, tangling themselves in the already tangled mass of midnight. He could feel his balls tightening as she took him deeper, nearly hitting the back of her throat and swallowing.

"Damn," he gasped as he shot a steady stream of cum down her throat. He watched as she wiped her mouth before standing. He waited until she was once again on steady feet before backing her up toward the sink. She yelped slightly when her butt collided with the marble corner of the countertop.

"Silence is a virtue," David reminded her, placing his hands on her bony hips in a vice-like grip before lifting her slender body and seating her on the cool countertop. A deep blush covered Olivia's cheeks at the thought that she had been anything but robotic with a man for the first time since…she didn't even dark to think his name.

"Just shut up and fuck me already," she demanded, for the first time in months feeling like the old Olivia, but she couldn't let that feeling last. That wasn't her anymore.

"With pleasure," David smirked, moving forward and slamming into her with force, causing a loud gasp to escape Olivia's plump lips. It wasn't long before both were gasping loudly, a light sweat covering their foreheads as David continued pumping faster, harder. Olivia could feel the tightening in her stomach as she began clenching her walls around David's throbbing member. She threw her head back, her eyes squeezing shut, as she exploded around him. David buried his face in Olivia's neck as he came once more, stilling his movements and clinging to her. The two stayed that way for several moments, catching their breath. Finally, David pulled away and began collecting his clothes. As he was in the process of pulling his pants up, Olivia slid off the countertop to find her jeans. She was hopping into the well-worn fabric, fastening the button, when she noticed David slipping a golden ring onto his finger.

"Men," she spat, shaking her head as she slipped her large shirt over her head.

"Here," David said, slipping a wad of cash into the back pocket of Olivia's jeans, grabbing her ass in the process, "Maybe I'll see you again."

With that last statement, he walked out of the restroom leaving Olivia alone. She reached into her back pocket, pulling out the wad of cash and flipping the green paper. She smiled to herself when she noticed that he had slipped an extra twenty into the original amount before she slid the money back into her pocket and headed out of the room. The waitress gave her a disgusted look as she walked past her in direction of the large, green door. She didn't think twice about the waitress's obvious disgust with her – she was beyond any form of emotional feeling at this point. She pushed the door open and stepped back out into the freezing snow. She slid her hands into her pockets and took off to the right.

She walked for a half hour, pushing through the throngs of people that slowly dwindled down to a handful as she neared her destination. The clean, well-kept buildings that lined the sidewalks had long ago given way to desolate, crumbling brick buildings. Children ran through the deserted streets, shouting at one another even at this late hour. Trash littered the sidewalks – glass beer bottles causing walking to be a treacherous task. Olivia turned down a dark alley that led to a wide open parking lot. A few fires burned in the far corners of the lot and one lone street light cast an eerie puddle in the middle of the cracked asphalt. She shoved her hands inside her sleeves and began walking toward the building at the far edge. A few people shouted their greetings, recognizing her regular face, as she placed a foot on the black iron of the staircase. She slowly climbed the stairs, ignoring those around her, until she reached the top floor. On the top floor, she took a left and walked until she had reached the last door. She knocked loudly and waited. She didn't wait long before an ebony skinned man with long dreadlocks opened the door.

"Olivia," the man exclaimed, his strong Jamaican accent making it difficult for the untrained ear to understand, "It's about time you show up!"

"Hey Demetrius," Olivia smiled, allowing the large man to throw his arms around her, pulling her inside and into a bear-hug.

"You want the usual, dear?" Aaron, Demetrius' partner ever since Olivia had known him, shouted from the kitchen where he was downing a shot of vodka.

"Is there anything else?" Olivia retorted, pulling the wad of cash from her pocket and throwing it at Demetrius.

"Damn girl! Someone's been working hard," Demetrius whistled, taking the cash and disappearing off into a side room.

"What have you been up to? It's been days," Aaron commented, coming from around the small counter in the kitchen and handing Olivia a bottle of beer. She took a swig of the foul tasting liquid as she moved to the old, torn blue sofa and collapsed on the piece of furniture; the first time she had sat on something remotely comfortable in days.

"Oh you know – same old same old. Trying to find work," she shrugged, snuggling into Aaron's open arms when he sat beside her on the couch.

"A girl like you shouldn't have trouble trying to find work," Aaron said, beginning to lightly stroke her arm.

"It's Christmas, Aar, my regulars are too busy trying to make sure everything looks perfect for their nice little dysfunctional families." She let the bitterness creep into her voice as she took a large swig of the beverage in her hand. She didn't normally admit that the men who came to her, cheating on their wives, bothered her. She felt like she couldn't say too much – after all, she was selling her body to buy drugs.

"Here you go babe," Demetrius said, coming into the room with a bag full of a white, powdery substance.

"Thanks dear," Olivia grinned, standing from the couch, grasping the baggie from Demetrius, and kissing him on the cheek.

"Don't stay away too long again," Aaron said as Olivia stared at the bag in her hands.

"What makes you think I'm leaving already? How about a little party?" She raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner as she shook the bag in front of the men.

"Hell yes," Demetrius grinned, kissing Olivia full on the lips before taking the baggie from her hands.

"You two go get some drinks while I set us up here," Aaron offered, grabbing the bag from Demetrius' hands and shooing the two away. Olivia followed Demetrius into the tiny kitchen. She found a tray under the sink and placed it on the counter before helping Demetrius place several small shot glasses on the tray and fill them with vodka.

"You two almost done in there?" Aaron called as Olivia was picking the tray up.

"Get your panties out of a bunch," Demetrius shouted back, following Olivia from the kitchen with the bottle of vodka present in his hand.

"I do the hard work and it takes me less time," Aaron scoffed as Olivia sat the tray down on the wooden coffee table in the room, on the opposite side of the lines of heroin Aaron had set up for them.

"The hard work? I just had to help your dumbass boyfriend fill twelve shot glasses," Olivia shook her head.

"Poor you," Aaron laughed, brushing his hand against Demetrius' cheek and whispering, "She didn't mean it honey."

"Whatever," Olivia rolled her eyes as she moved toward the line in front of her. A satisfied smile left her lips at the first burning sensation of the drugs as it entered her nostrils. She felt a little better each time she moved down the line.

"Olivia!" She barely registered Demetrius' yelling coming from behind her as she continued moving from one line to the next.

"Olivia, you need to stop," Aaron ordered, laying his hands on her arms and attempting to pull her away. She tried fighting at first; she had gone too long without her daily fix and was trying to make up for lost time.

"What the hell are you thinking? Are you trying to overdose?" Demetrius demanded, roughly grasping her shoulders and shaking her. She could already feel her consciousness slipping out of her grasp. She wouldn't be conscious much longer.

"I think she might have," Aaron practically whispered, staring at the table in front of him in shock.

"What the hell?" Demetrius questioned, his voice rising with each word.

"She's never had this much before. I've never had this much before. She should probably go to the hospital," Aaron stated, choosing at that moment to be the voice of reason.

"We can't take her to the hospital. They'll question who we are, where she got the drugs from. We can't risk that," Demetrius nearly shouted, frustration slipping into his features.

"We'll tell them we found her on the street," Aaron resolved, moving toward the door.

"Look at us, Aaron! There is no fucking way they would believe that shitty ass story of yours," Panic now filled Demetrius' voice as Olivia slouched against him

"Fine. We'll just take her outside and I'm sure we'll run into some goody two shoes who will be more than willing to rush her to the nearest hospital. She's our friend, Demetrius. That's the least we can do for her," Aaron sighed, placing his hand on the doorknob.

"Let's get this over with," Demetrius intoned, picking Olivia's thin body up and carrying her out the door. The trio carefully made their way down the iron stairs, slick from the snow and ice. No one spared them a second glance as they walked across the parking lot toward the sidewalk – this was too normal an occurrence for them. They walked several blocks before they finally came across a man that Aaron thought would fit their cause. The man was tall with dark hair. He was wearing black dress pants a knee length, grey wool coat. He looked kind, but the best part about him was that he was locking the door to a Catholic school. Aaron decided to take a chance.

"Excuse me, sir," Aaron called, rushing up to the man.

"Can I help you?" The man asked, turning around to fix Aaron with his icy blue stare.

"My friend needs help," Aaron simply explained, pointing to where Demetrius stood, holding a semi-conscious Olivia who had begun shivering violently.

"Um…let me see what I can do," the man offered, following Aaron to where Demetrius stood in a well-lit part of the sidewalk. They knew that for their plan to work, they had to appear trustworthy – or as trustworthy as they could, to the person they chose to help.

"Here," Demetrius said, handing Olivia to the man when they approached, "She's starting to get heavy. I don't want to drop her."

The man narrowed his eyes at Olivia, scrutinizing her appearance as if he knew who she was as he cradled her in his arms.

"What happened?" he addressed the two men beside him.

"She overdosed," they quickly explained – it wasn't like this man knew who they were.

"She needs to go to the hospital." It wasn't like Aaron and Demetrius didn't already know that.

Olivia's eyes fluttered open as the men around her talked about her condition. Her eyes widened in shock when she noticed who was holding her. Her muddled mind could only half comprehend where she was and she was certain it was playing tricks on her. There was no way he was here. At that moment, the man holding Olivia in his arms happened to look down. Her chocolate eyes left no room for doubt in his mind as to who the girl in his arms was. He couldn't understand how she had gotten to this point, but there was no mistaking the tiny, intelligent, unique woman he had fallen in love with so long ago.

"Olivia?" He barely managed to whisper, having eyes only for her and not noticing the two men who had brought her back into his life, slipping away into the night air.

"F…Fitz?" She barely managed to gasp before her world went dark once more.


	2. Somebody Help Me

**A/N - I apologize for the delay. I am currently battling a nasty head cold, but I am trying, rather slowly, to get everything updated. Thank you for reading and your reviews. -**

 _ **Class A**_

 _ **Chapter Two:**_

 _ **Somebody Help Me**_

 **Bronx-Lebanon; The Bronx, New York City, January 2013 –**

"How is she today?" Fitz asked the nurse sitting behind the large, wooden desk.

"She's still asleep," the elderly woman, her hair already stark white, responded in a kind, worry filled voice.

"Can I see her?" He asked; hope emanating from his voice at the thought of seeing the one girl who had not left his mind for the past year.

"I think I can make an exception for you," the woman winked, her wide, brown eyes watching Fitz from behind her large rimmed glasses as she stood from her seat. She smoothed the wrinkles from her frost white uniform before coming around the desk. She gestured for Fitz to follow her down the long hall full of medical equipment.

"Did they move her?" Fitz questioned, shifting the blood red roses he held in his left hand to his right.

"Just down the hall. They gave her, her own room shortly after you went home," the nurse informed him, "She'll be more comfortable now."

Fitz nodded in response, nervously twisting the roses in his hand. His pulse quickened as he neared the room Olivia had been moved to. The nurse patted Fitz reassuringly as he stood motionless in the doorway, staring in at the pale, small figure of the girl he had been praying to see every night for the past year. A lone tear fell from Fitz's eye as he took in the pathetic sight in front of him. The once strong girl he had known lay before him – weak and frail. Her skin was a shade or two paler than he was used to. Her black hair had been washed the previous night and, after hours of brushing with no luck of getting the tangles out of the thick mass, the nurses had made the decision to cut Olivia's long tresses – stating a hindrance to the doctors.

Fitz slowly moved into the room, taking cautious steps toward the hospital bed. He grasped the railing as he neared the head of the short bed, not that Olivia required a very long bed. He tentatively lifted his hand and moved it toward Olivia's cheek, gingerly laying the tips of his fingers against her soft, cool cheek and stroking the all too familiar silky skin. A sad smile graced his face before he turned away. He gently laid the roses he held in his hand on the wooden table by the bed before slinging his charcoal, knee-length coat from his body and tossing it over the back of a green upholstered chair. He moved the chair to the side of the bed, the wooden legs scrapping a little on the floor as he dragged it; positioning it near the head of the bed.

"Olivia, why did you do this to yourself?" Fitz whispered, his voice breaking on the last syllable as he grasped Olivia's tiny hand in his own, careful not to wake her. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand as he continued staring at the woman before him. He couldn't believe she had come to this. He wanted so badly to believe that she had somehow accidentally overdosed – she wasn't the type to do drugs; not in his mind, anyway. The doctors had quickly shot his beliefs, the beliefs he wanted to be true; he had **prayed** to be true, down when they had told him that Olivia exhibited all the traits of a heroin addict.

He couldn't begin to fathom what had happened in her life that had brought her to this low. There for the first six months after she had left for Columbia University, she had written or called him every day – excited about college life. She had sounded like she was thriving in her new setting. She was making good grades, especially in her English courses, and had made new friends. She'd even gotten a job as a campus tour guide. Never during those six months had she let on that something was bothering her or that her life had suddenly been placed on a downward spiral.

Olivia's calls became less frequent after the first six months, but Fitz hadn't taken that as a sign that something was going horribly awry in her life. He had summed it all up to her suddenly having more schoolwork to do, work that he was certain she was having no problem with, but still took a good chunk of her time either way. He knew she had work to do as well. She couldn't be expected to spend every moment of her free time on the phone with her _**older**_ boyfriend who also had the misfortune of living and working in an entirely different state. He didn't fault her for not calling – how could he? He had gotten to experience college life and so should she. Eventually, though, her phone calls, texts, and emails stopped completely. Every attempt Fitz made to come in contact with her once more, failed. He decided to pack up his things and move to New York in hopes of coming in contact with Olivia, finding out what was wrong with her, and being closer to her. He handed in his resignation and applied for jobs at various high schools in New York.

When he arrived, he had found a nice apartment in Manhattan with the help of his mother – a widow who made a name for herself practicing law. He had quickly gotten a job teaching at a Catholic all boys school and became an integral part of the school. Although he had gotten settled into his new life with ease, he hadn't forgotten about Olivia. His search for Olivia hadn't gone as well as his settling in had. He had gone to Columbia and asked around campus about Olivia only to discover from one of her _former_ friends that she had dropped out nearly two months prior. Fitz had found that strange. He knew how hard-headed and set Olivia was on getting an English degree – she wouldn't have given up or walked away from one of the things she wanted most in this world. He had continued looking for her, but after months of coming to nothing but dead ends, he had nearly given up.

That was the week before she had come waltzing back into his life once more or, more like, was carried back into his life. He hadn't expected to see her once more yesterday after such a long time of not knowing what had happened to her. He certainly hadn't expected to see her half comatose after a drug overdose and in the arms of a tall Jamaican. He could tell that there was a lot that had occurred in her life over the last year and there were definitely some blanks that she would have to fill in for him.

"F…Fitz?" He was shaken from his own little world at the raspy sound of Olivia's voice. She sounded like she was in shock; disbelief that he was actually **here** beside her.

"Hey," Fitz greeted, his voice soft and unthreatening. He knew that he would have to take small steps with Olivia; almost as if he were trying to coax a timid animal from its hiding place. He could tell that she had had a rough year and no doubt would not easily welcome him back into her life.

"What…" she began, stopping for a brief moment as coughs began to rack her tiny frame before continuing, "What are you doing here?"

"You don't remember any of last night?" Fitz asked gently, watching her for her reaction. She furrowed her once perfectly plucked but now slightly overgrown brows together. She pursed her lips and her eyes took on a distant glint as a look of concentration fell over her.

"I remember working," Olivia began as Fitz started questioning in his head exactly what her 'job' consisted of, "Then I went to Aaron and Demetrius'."

"Aaron and Demetrius?" Fitz questioned, wondering if he had finally gotten names to put with the faces of the men who had dumped her in his arms last night. He prayed she was talking about two other people and not the ones who hadn't even bothered to make sure she was okay after leaving her.

"They're friends," Olivia shrugged, obviously not in the mood to give any more information to Fitz. Any more information and he would know exactly who they were. She wasn't going to rat her friends out for dealing drugs – that wasn't something you did on the streets.

"Let me guess, Aaron is a few inches taller than you, has a nose ring, and more ear piercings than any man has the right to have? Oh and how could I forget the misguided attempt at dying his brown hair blond?" A shocked look crossed Olivia's face upon Fitz's fairly accurate description. Fitz took her silence as agreement before continuing his spiel, "In that case, Demetrius must be the unusually tall Jamaican with the dreadlocks."

"Why do you know who Aaron and Demetrius are?" Olivia demanded to know in a nearly accusatory tone. She glared at Fitz; crossing her arms over her chest and instantly going into a defensive mode.

"Because they're the jackasses who decided to leave you with a complete stranger last night knowing that you needed medical attention. They don't sound like friends, Olivia," he tried to keep his voice neutral, but he wound up sounding slightly condescending in the end.

"They did what they had to do," she responded, shrugging in a way that told Fitz he should give up any hopes he had of making her think otherwise.

"They left you with a complete stranger, Olivia. A stranger!" With that said, Fitz stood from his chair, pushing it back and running a hand through his hair in frustration and slight anger. He couldn't believe how stubborn Olivia was being at this moment. Her life had been on the line and rather than insuring that their supposed friend was okay, those two had dumped her on the nearest person they could find. That didn't sound like something a friend would do in Fitz's book.

"You don't understand, Fitz," Olivia shouted back, her voice breaking from lack of use as she continued glaring at the man in front of her. There was so much of her life he didn't know – that she was ashamed to tell him.

"Then _**make**_ me understand," he gave the simple solution in a soft, yet frustrated voice as he came to stand by the bed, looking down at Olivia with an almost patronizing expression.

"No matter how much I explain to you, Fitz, you will never understand. So much has happened in my life since the last time you saw me. I'm not the same person I was and I don't think I can ever be that person again. Just trust me when I say that Aaron and Demetrius are amazing friends – they're the only friends I have. They did what they had to do to protect themselves from **my** stupidity. I would have done the same in their situation," she stated, her eyes pleading with Fitz to drop the topic.

"Olivia, what happened to you?" Fitz begged – he had to know why the woman he was still convicted he would share the rest of his life with was in this much pain.

"It's not a short story, Fitz. Nor is it something I would care to share," she sighed, sounding slightly defeated as she shrank down on her pillows.

"Tell me. You used to tell me everything," Fitz reminded her, gripping her hand in his and stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

"That was the old me," Olivia stated with finality before pulling her hand from Fitz's and rolling over on her side, closing her eyes.

Fitz huffed before glancing at the watch on his wrist; he would be running late for his first class of the day. He quickly flung his coat on before heading toward the entrance to the room, turning at the doorway to stare back longingly at Olivia before walking out of the room. He stopped at the desk where the friendly nurse who had escorted him earlier was typing away at a computer.

"Thank you," Fitz tossed at the woman.

"You're welcome, dear. I wouldn't want to keep a young couple apart," she grinned; it was evident that Fitz held a high place in her opinion.

"We're…" Fitz began before realizing that the old lady's mistake would make it easier for him to have access to Olivia during her hospitalization, "Very grateful for what you've done."

"You two are so adorable. How long have you been together?" She questioned, her eyes taking on a look of earnestness.

"Four years," Fitz quickly stated, which **would** be true if they hadn't broken up or whatever it was Olivia had done to them.

"Are you planning on sealing the deal anytime soon?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye, leaning forward as if the two were sharing a secret.

"Maybe," Fitz drawled, hoping that statement was true, "I have to get to work. You have my number in case anything happens, right?"

"Of course. I put it in her medical records last night when you gave it to me. Have fun at work," she winked, waving at him.

Fitz gave her a half wave before practically running down the hall to the elevator. He pressed the button several times as if it would make the elevator arrive on his floor any sooner. He practically shouted his frustration when the elevator finally decided to open its doors, allowing him to step inside. He pressed the button for the first floor and waited rather impatiently before he reached his desired level. On the first floor, he practically ran out the door into the cold morning air. He was amazed when he managed to find an unoccupied taxi quickly at this time of the morning. Sliding into the yellow car, he gave an address before requesting that the cabby drive as quickly as possible. The usually long drive was accomplished by the cabby in a little under fifteen minutes – prompting a lot of near heart attacks for Fitz. Yet when he arrived at his destination, he felt compelled to give the driver a nice tip.

Out of breath, Fitz arrived in his classroom, having just ran to the room at the end of the hall from the sidewalk. Fitz smiled at the sight of his students already sitting at their desks, their books out in front of them and opened to the current chapter they were reading. It had taken Fitz a while to adjust to the boys in this school always coming to class prepared and ready to learn, but this was a private school designed for the brightest students in the city.

"Good morning," Fitz greeted, smiling at the class as he placed his briefcase on his desk and slung his coat over his desk chair.

"Good morning," the boys all intoned, watching as Fitz pulled his own book from his briefcase and settled himself on the edge of his desk, looking out at his class.

"Are you guys ready to discuss clichés?" Fitz asked his class. Freshman English wasn't his favorite course to teach because he had to go over all of what he termed 'elementary terms'.

"We are, but _you_ don't look like you are," a tall, lanky boy with sandy hair said.

"Thomas, my personal life remains just that, _**personal**_ ," Fitz stated, a little more harshly than he intended.

"Of course, Mr. Grant," Thomas mumbled, unused to seeing his favorite teacher in a foul mood.

"Let's get started then," Fitz said, attempting to lighten the mood by adding more enthusiasm in his voice.

A few hours later, Fitz sat in the staff dining room with Mellie – the resident science teacher. The two were busy eating their lunch in silence, an unusual occurrence for the two best friends. Mellie sat staring at Fitz, trying to read his mood.

"What's your problem today, Fritz?" She asked, stretching before reaching forward to grasp her can of soda. Fitz smiled at the nickname. The first time they had met, she had mispronounced his name and, twenty years later, it still made its presence known every once in a while.

"I ran into Olivia last night," Fitz mumbled, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"You're kidding," Mellie shook her head, trying to wrap her head around Fitz's revelation.

"Nope," Fitz said, chewing his food before swallowing.

"Please tell me you told that bitch where to go," Mellie begged, her attitude toward Olivia having soured since she had disappeared from her best friend's life and broken his heart in the process.

"It's a little more complicated than that," Fitz informed the woman seated across from him.

"Complicated how?" Mellie wondered, not able to see how that had anything to do with Fitz **not** telling Olivia where to shove it.

"I can't talk about it right now," Fitz shrugged, standing to throw his trash away.

"Why can't you talk about it?"

"Mellie, please don't try to pry information from me. I'll tell you later. Right now, this is something Olivia and I have to work out."

Sighing, Mellie stood from her seat, throwing her own trash away before stepping toward Fitz. Laying a hand on his forearm, she threw a pleading look his way, "Be careful, Fritz. Last time, it was as if she had literally shattered you into a million pieces. I love you as a friend, but this time I'm married – and I can't explain piecing you back together again to Tom. Just…watch after yourself this time."


	3. Swimming Through the Ashes

**A/N – Happy belated Mother's Day to all the mothers, stepmothers, and soon to be mothers! I had a wonderful day with my little ones – the** _ **only**_ **reason this chapter wasn't up yesterday. In this chapter, both Olivier and Anais are pronounced the way they would be in their original French. Thank you for your reviews! – G. xx**

 _ **Class A**_

 _ **Chapter Three:**_

 _ **Swimming Through the Ashes**_

 **New York City, January 2013 –**

Fitz stood outside Olivia's hospital room, watching as she laid completely still, her chest rising and falling with a rhythmic beat as she slept. A sad smile tugged at the corners of his perfectly sculpted lips. He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest as he continued watching her – wondering how long she would be like this. It had been two days since he had brought her here and a day since their last conversation had taken place. Fitz had spent every moment he could at the hospital by her side since she was admitted, much to Mellie's displeasure. Mellie couldn't understand why Fitz was taking so much interest in Olivia after what she had done to him.

Mellie had witnessed Fitz's heartbroken state after Olivia had seemingly disappeared from his life. For the first month or so, Fitz had walked around his apartment as if he was in a trance – only eating and going to work because he had to. Half the time, Mellie couldn't talk Fitz out of his bed or into decent clothes. She had been certain Fitz had worn the same sweatpants for three weekends in a row without washing them.

Fitz sighed as he thought back to the conversation he and Mellie had had during lunch two days ago. Mellie had been adamant that Fitz had done his part by bringing Olivia to the hospital and wasn't required to do much of anything else. That had led to a tense last few days for the two best friends.

Fitz shook his head from his reverie and, after taking one last look at Olivia, turned to walk down the hall. He felt around his pocket for his silver iPhone as he rushed down the hall, trying to be quick as possible. He didn't want to be gone too long for fear that Olivia would wake up before he was back.

Fitz's breath caught in his throat as he swung the door open and stepped out onto the grey, snow-packed sidewalk. The wind whipped his black coat around his body. He nodded at a few of the bystanders leaning against the building before walking to a more secluded area. He pulled his phone from his pocket and began dialing a ten-digit number that he hadn't called in a while; silently praying that he had remembered the number correctly.

"Hello?" A groggy, questioning male voice answered – no doubt having just woken.

"Olivier?" Fitz decided it would be best to make sure he was talking to the right person. It had been years since he'd spoken to Olivia's little brother and his sleep filled voice hadn't made it easy to detect his identity.

"Who is this?" Olivier demanded. Fitz chuckled as he heard a crash swiftly followed by cursing.

"Fitzgerald Grant." Sighing, Fitz stuffed the hand that wasn't firmly holding his phone to his ear into his pocket.

"And you're calling because…" Olivier's tone was slightly rude as he tried to imagine why his sister's ex-boyfriend would be calling him at noon. He was cutting into Olivier's sleeping time.

"I need help with your sister." Olivier banged his head on the shelf over his bed at the unexpected words from his sister's ex.

"Damn fucking shelf!" Fitz heard through the phone, laughing quietly to himself. Olivier obviously wasn't having a good day.

"You're real funny, Fitz. None of us have heard from Olivia in a year." Olivier sounded on the verge of hanging up as Fitz sighed.

"I ran in to her the other day, Olivier." Fitz leaned against the hard, rough brick of the wall behind him, crossing his arms and placing one foot on the hard brick.

"Ran in to her?" Olivier questioned, doubt in his voice as he finally managed to pull himself out of bed without any further harm to himself or his environment.

"More like I had her shoved in my arms," Fitz scoffed, flicking lint from his coat sleeve.

"Dude, it's early and I've already banged my head twice. Speak English, man," Olivier whined.

"Some guy practically threw her in my arms and asked that I take her to the hospital," Fitz heaved a deep breath, tilting his head back to lean against the hard wall behind him, "She had overdosed on heroin."

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Olivier's voice rose an octave with his anger. He sounded like he wanted to come through the phone and punch Fitz for spreading what he assumed to be horrible rumors about his sister. Just the thought had Fitz rubbing his jaw – he could still recall how it felt years ago when Olivier had done just that.

"Do you honestly think I'm the kind of person to pull a joke like this?" Fitz's voice was just as cross. He had taken a lot from Olivia's family in the past. Eli and Maya hadn't been happy about their relationship, throwing him out of their house when he and Olivia had announced they were a couple. Olivier had even gone so far as to punch him.

But this was one thing he wasn't going to take from them. He wasn't going to be called a liar. Not about this and not from _them_. He had devoted the better half of the last five years of his life to Olivia. It was slowly killing him to see her like this and he would give anything for the words that just left his mouth to be a lie.

"Relax, man. Where is she?" Olivier's tone sounded defeated and was devoid of the harshness he had exhibited moments earlier. No doubt Fitz's tone had left him reeling.

"New York," Fitz let out through clenched teeth, clenching and unclenching his fists. Each time, he dug his nails into the fleshy part of his palm until his fingers turned white from the effort, leaving little nail marks all along his palm.

"No shit. Which hospital, dumbass?" Olivier's voice was an equal mixture of sarcasm and frustration at Fitz's vague response. They had all assumed she was still in New York after she dropped out of college despite the lack of concrete evidence.

"Bronx-Lebanon," Fitz sighed, the tension leaving his body and taking with it every last ounce of energy he had left. In its place, worry came flooding in until every nerve of Fitz's body was drowning in the murky waters of his emotions.

"Have you told my parents?" That question caused Fitz to snort. He wasn't _**that**_ stupid. He had left Vermont partly to continue his own search for Olivia and partly to escape the Popes. There was no doubt in his mind that if he called them this very instant to tell them that their daughter was laying in a hospital bed having overdosed on heroin that they would attempt in some perverse way to pin her predicament on him. No, he wouldn't be telling them.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Olivier's tight chuckle was the only answer Fitz needed for that question. Of course Olivier knew that Fitz hadn't told Maya and Eli about Olivia.

"Look, my last exam's tomorrow and then I'll catch a plane up there. I'll call my parents then. They're going to flip the fuck out and someone should probably prepare Olivia for that."

"Good point." It was nice to see that Olivier was starting to mature and see the world outside of how it affected him. It was a better voice of reason than Fitz at the moment, it seemed.

"Hey, take care of my sister, man." Olivier's voice finally cracked at that. He was relieved that he finally knew where Olivia was, but he couldn't help the deep pit forming in his stomach at the thought of what she had been through the last year. He knew it must have been bad if she had turned to drugs. That wasn't the Olivia he knew.

"Always," Fitz answered, truthfully. He had never stopped looking after Olivia. He doubted that he could at this point. It had been a year and he still couldn't shake her from his system. It seemed that no matter what happened, they were always drawn back to one another. They just couldn't shake each other.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Olivier hung up the phone at that, leaving Fitz staring out at dirty, trampled snow-covered sidewalks. He felt numb at having finally shared his discovery of Olivia with someone other than Mellie. For the last two days, he had gotten to keep her to himself and, though she wasn't talking much to him yet, felt like he was making some headway toward continuing their old relationship.

Come tomorrow, all of that would change. Olivier would be there and he would want to spend time with his sister. Then there was the nasty business of involving Maya and Eli. Fitz doubted that they would allow or want him to continue visiting their daughter. Yet, despite Fitz's desire to keep Olivia to himself and avoid the impending fallout with her parents, he **had** to tell her family about her whereabouts and current condition. He wouldn't feel right keeping it to himself knowing how close Olivia had once been to her parents and her brother.

Fitz shoved himself away from the smooth, white brick. Scuffing the snow on the cracked cement, Fitz slowly dragged his feet to the door. The thought of contacting Olivia's friends crossed Fitz's mind as he entered the warm building, feeling his fingers begin to tingle with the rush of warm blood. They had been just as, if not more, heartbroken as Olivia's family when she went missing. Justine and Anais had spent every weekend and break at first searching New York for Olivia and Jasmine had flown in from Paris where she was studying at IFA.

Over time, the girls had stopped devoting so much time to the search in New York. They began to doubt if Olivia was even still there or if she could be found. Justine began once again burying her nose in her books and spending every second studying to become the top of her class at Williams. Jasmine could not fly back to New York every weekend and it had always been her dream to be a fashion designer. Anais, on the other hand, still went out every weekend in search of her missing friend. She was attending New York University and found a lot more time to devout to finding Olivia.

Of all the girls, Anais was the only one that Fitz had kept in touch with. They had exchanged numbers at the start of the year long search and promised to call each other if they managed to obtain even the smallest lead on Olivia. Anais had called when a former friend of Olivia's had supposedly seen her hanging around Queens and now, Fitz felt it his obligation to inform Anais that he had found Olivia.

Running a hand through his unruly hair, he really needed to go home and at least shower tonight, Fitz made the mental note to call Anais later that day. First, he wanted to check on Olivia. Surely she was awake by now.

He entered the stairwell, the door slamming shut behind him. His breath turned a frosty white. It seemed that the stairwell wasn't heated as the rest of the building was or someone had forgotten to turn on the heat for this particular part. Considering that most people would take the elevator rather than walk up three flights of stairs, Fitz doubted the heat for the stairwell had even been hooked up.

His black converse pounded up the stairs, he needed to soothe his frazzled nerves and a quick ride in an elevator wouldn't do that. He pressed his hand to the cold railing, taking in the feel of the icy, smooth steel as he held it in a death grip on his way up. He didn't know what to say to Olivia about her brother's impending arrival or how it would affect her. Deep down, Fitz knew that she would not have wanted him to reach out to her family and would most likely start attempting to throw things at his head the moment he told her about what he had done.

Fitz reached the third floor landing and hoisted the heavy, metal door open. A gush of warm air met him as he walked in. His fast pace slowed as he neared the door to Olivia's room. A sinking feeling filled his gut as his hand collided with the grey, metal handle – how was he going to tell Olivia what he had done?

He took a deep breath and twisted the handle, pushing the door open. Olivia's dark gaze collided with his as he stepped into the room. Her short hair was sticking out and her eyes were slightly bloodshot. The paper thin hospital gown had slid off one shoulder, revealing her flawless skin.

"How do you feel today?" Fitz's soft voice had Olivia straining to hear as he took a seat in the creaky, green leather chair that he had dragged to her bedside earlier.

"Like shit." Olivia's voice cracked on those words, the grogginess from her nap still hadn't worn off her voice. She put her hand to her head, making a gesture as if to sweep her hair to one side before allowing her hand to fall back to her lap and giving a dejected stare.

"The nurses said it was in their way," Fitz offered as an explanation, reaching out to touch the soft, dark strands on her head.

"Hmmp," Olivia huffed, crossing her arms and leaning back against the uncomfortable, brick-like pillow.

"Olivia," Fitz began, clearing his throat and glancing around the room as he took her hand in his, "I called your brother. He's coming here tomorrow…and he's calling your parents before he leaves."

Olivia's head snapped to the side and her chocolate eyes filled with anger as she glared at Fitz. She yanked her hand from his and barely stopped herself from slapping him. Fitz watched as she turned on her side and buried her face in her pillow.

"Olivia, say something," he pleaded, rubbing her back. She squeezed her eyes shut, letting the tears flow down her cheeks. She couldn't face her family after everything that she had done.

"Leave, Fitz. Please." She chocked that last word out, her body shaking from the sobs that she was holding in. She didn't feel like crying in front of him.

"I'll give you time to adjust to what I said, Olivia and I'll be back tomorrow after work." He bent to give her a quick peck on the cheek before he turned and exited the room. He checked his watch on the way down the hall when he noticed several nurses pushing trays of food. It was going on seven and he still had to call Anais.

He hailed a taxi the moment he stepped out into the bitter cold and gratefully slid into the warm vehicle. It was a short ride from the hospital to his apartment, but not short enough to stop his mind from wondering to how he would tell Anais about Olivia.

He took a deep breath as the taxi pulled up outside his apartment building and paid for his ride. He practically ran for the door and up the stairs. He needed to call Anais before he lost his nerve.

So engrossed in his thoughts was Fitz that he nearly bumped into the tall brunette leaning against his door.

"Anais?" Fitz's shock couldn't be more obvious as he came to an abrupt stop and stared at her.

"I came to tell you that I think I got a lead on Olivia. She's been…Fitz I think…she's been selling her body for drugs," Anais offered, her face scrunching at the unpleasant announcement.

" **That's** what she's been doing?" Fitz sounded incredulous as he put his key in the lock on his door.

"You took that a little differently than I was expecting," Anais snorted, following Fitz into his apartment and making herself at home, heading straight for the refrigerator and a bottle of water.

"Anais," Fitz began, throwing his coat across the wooden dining room chair and kicking his shoes off, "I ran into Olivia a couple days ago. She's at Bronx-Lebanon."

"And I'm just now hearing about this because…" Anais trailed off, snapping her head to the side and glaring at Fitz as she roughly unscrewed the cap of her water bottle.

"She was in bad shape. A heroin overdose. I thought I should give her a little time to recover before throwing visitors on her and I wanted to tell her brother first." Fitz shrugged, flipping on the television.

"You're a jerk," Anais stated, flouncing over to the sofa and plopping down beside Fitz, pulling her knees to her chest.

"I did it for her. Give her time, Ana. Let me bring you up to her and then you can visit. She hasn't seen any of us in a year. She needs to readjust," Fitz paused for a breath, "And she's fucking pissed that I told her brother."

"I want to be there for her." Anais turned her wet, brown gaze on Fitz.

"And you will be…in time."

"You have a day, maybe two, to bring it up, Grant and then I'm visiting with or without your permission." Anais's ultimatum was no surprise to Fitz. He would be the same way if he were in her position.

"Keep it from the other three for now. She'll only retreat further into herself if we spring everyone on her too fast." He stood from the sofa and stretched, yawning.

"Pinky promise?" Anais said, serious as she held her pinky out to Fitz. He laughed and wrapped his own little finger around hers.

"Now," Anais bounced from her seat, "What do you want for dinner?"

 **The Next Day**

"Are you going to talk to her about me?" Anais didn't even give Fitz time to crawl out of bed before bombarding him with the all too important topic of telling Olivia that she was in New York and wanted to see her.

"Maybe I should have locked the door," Fitz mumbled to himself, staring dejectedly at the lock on his bedroom door as he ran a hand through his tousled brown hair.

"Anais, I will tell her about you today, but I cannot do it from bed."

"Then get out of bed."

"Get out of my room first?" Fitz scrunched his eyebrows, struggling against the pillows until he was in a sitting position with his black-blue sheet held in place around his waist.

"Aren't you a bucket full of sunshine in the morning?" Anais scoffed, turning her back to Fitz and slinging the door open. She sauntered out of the room, slamming the wooden door shut behind her.

Fitz lifted his arms above his head and stretched, enjoying the feel of the tension almost, but not entirely, leaving his sore muscles. He reluctantly slid from beneath his warm sheets to place his bare feet on the cool, wooden floor. The icy cold quickly crept into his toes, turning each step into a painful movement as he traversed the short space to his shower.

His bathroom wasn't any less chilly than his bedroom had been. Had Anais messed with the thermostat again? Fitz frowned. Every time she visited…He turned the shower on, stripping out of his sleepwear as he waited for the water to warm.

He stepped into the warm, inviting shower and sighed as he felt the water sluice over his tense muscles. He grabbed his shampoo, squirting a liberal amount on his hair and massaging it into his scalp, enjoying the feel of the mini-head massage he was giving himself. He went through several scenarios in his head as he showered – each one ending with Olivia's father physically assaulting him.

The smell of bacon and eggs drifted into the bathroom as he was toweling himself off, making his stomach growl. He dressed in a favorite pair of old, worn jeans paired with a black band shirt and his Converse. He made his way to the kitchen to find that Anais had set two plates of steaming food on the table.

"This smells good," He complimented her, sitting and taking a bite of the food while his mind wondered to Olivia.

* * *

Olivia awoke to the bright sun streaming in through the blinds, hitting her full on the face. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched. She was feeling better than she had in the last year. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this well rested and she even considered the lumpy hospital mattress to be comfortable having not had the luxury of sleeping on a mattress in a long time.

"Good morning, Olivia." She snapped her head to the door at the cheery sound of Nurse Monica entering the room. The hospital staff had been generally polite and enthusiastic around her.

"Good morning," Olivia mumbled, pulling the blankets tighter around herself and shivering against the slight chill that had entered the room.

"Can I have another blanket?" She asked, her teeth clanking together as she shivered.

"I'll grab another for you," Monica smiled, moving toward the door. She returned several minutes later, a dark green blanket in her hands. She spread the blanket on the bed and helped Olivia rearrange her pillows to a sitting position.

"Would you like to watch television this morning?" That question caught Olivia's attention. She hadn't watched television in a year. Not any program she was interested in, at least. There had been the occasional moment when she was in a store or restaurant that they had a television blaring, but she never got a good look on her way to whatever rendezvous point a client had designated.

"Could I?" She sounded like a child who had just had something new and shiny dangled before her face.

Monica giggled at the thrilled look on Olivia's face and passed a controller to her, staying long enough to make sure that she remembered how to use one. Olivia hit the power button and watched as the flat screen on the wall switched on. Some news anchor was telling the city to be prepared for more snow.

"We don't have many channels, but I'm sure you can find something you'll like," Monica pointed out before leaving the room.

Olivia flipped through all the channels at least a half dozen times. She was bewildered by the sudden reintroduction of television in her life. She finally stopped when she came across a film that looked interesting. She pegged it for an eighties film and sat listening although she didn't understand the language. There were subtitles, but she was too far from the screen to make them out.

"You have good taste," A young doctor commented as he walked into the room, his white lab coat flailing behind him, " _Ah vwar, Less Enfants._ One of my favorites."

"I'm no expert in French, but I'm pretty sure you just butchered that." Olivia laughed, enjoying the feeling of sharing a joke.

"We Brits aren't known for our impeccable French skills," he chuckled, moving to the side of Olivia's bed and placing the tips of his stethoscope in his ears, "Mind if I have a listen?"

Olivia shrugged, reading the doctor's name tag as he placed the cold steel of his medical instrument on her exposed back: Doctor Clarke. She inhaled and exhaled as she was asked, feeling relieved when he finally withdrew from her side. She watched as he made some quick additions to the computer sitting in the far corner of her room.

"Everything good?" She called, pushing a stray lock of black from her eyes and watching the handsome young doctor.

"Considering what you have been through, yes." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall awaiting any further questions she might have. This was the first time he had been in to check on her that she hadn't been unconscious or sleeping.

"Did you…run any blood work?" She asked, thinking back to a conversation she had recently had with Fitz about being checked for any possible sexually transmitted diseases. She had been livid at the time, but she was starting to see the sense in inquiring about it.

"We did though that question generally implies that you were hoping we had been looking for a specific something," he answered, scrunching his eyebrows at her odd request.

"It's just…I did some things I'm not proud of to get by and I want to make sure I'm clean." She rushed the words out of her mouth, ashamed of admitting her past.

"I'll send a nurse in to take some more blood samples and run the tests." His tone was kind and devoid of judgment. Olivia couldn't have been more grateful for that. She had her reasons for doing what she had done – most of them fueled by her desire to feed her addiction, and she didn't think it was anyone's business to judge what she had done. Not after she had already judged herself.

"Thanks." She turned her gaze back to the screen to see a priest giving some sermon in a crowded church. She tilted her head, trying to decipher what was being said though it didn't matter much. She had missed the majority of the movie.

Dr. Clarke headed toward the door, stopping to turn and look at Olivia for a moment, "If you can find it, _Le Corbeau_ is another good one."

Olivia smiled to herself once the doctor had left and snuggled back against her pillows, pulling her blankets to her chin. She felt her eyes growing heavy as she continued the film. The film was over before she knew it and another French film, this time a classic film noir, had begun. Slowly, her eyes drifted closed and she found herself off in dreamland.

Fitz entered some time later to find Olivia asleep and some black and white film playing on the television. He slung his coat over the nearby chair and took a seat at her bedside, turning his attention to the film. It brought back memories of their many 'dates' in high school where take out and old movies had been their guilty pleasure. Her parents hadn't been thrilled that she had been dating a senior while she was still a sophomore. They thought the age difference was too much, especially once Fitz had graduated and started college, opting to remain in the same town as Olivia and take classes at the local college.

He found himself taking hold of Olivia's hand in his, laying their joined hands on the foamy blanket. He admired the look of her slender hand in his – he had missed that sight. He ran his thumb across her knuckles, enjoying the feel of her soft skin.

"Harrumph." Fitz looked up and locked gazes with Olivia at the sound of her clearing her throat. She gave him a small, shy smile and squeezed his hand a little.

"Are you still mad at me?" Fitz inquired, unwilling to let go of her hand as he inched closer still to her beautiful face.

"Oh I'm pissed." Olivia gave her signature, breathy laugh, her eyes twinkling at her comment as she found herself closing the last few inches between herself and Fitz, placing her soft lips on his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her hands wander into his soft, brown curls as a contented sigh left her.

"Fitz, I'm sorry!" She pulled back less than a second later, her eyes wide with shock. She tried yanking her arms to her side, but Fitz caught hold of them first. His chuckle reached his eyes as he lightly rubbed her arms.

"Don't be. I never gave up on us, Olivia and I was kind of hoping that we could start back off where we left things." She shook her head more vigorously at each word he spoke. He really had no clue what he was getting into.

"You don't want me, Fitz. I'm not the same girl who used to sneak off to the fields with you for secret dates. A lot has changed me," she whispered, pulling her arms away and clasping them by her sides.

"Olivia, you're still that same girl. Your experiences recently may have changed your outlook on yourself, but deep down, you have not changed." He grew serious, reaching for her left hand and holding it tightly in his.

"I'm not ready for this, Fitz. Right now, I need a _friend_ not a boyfriend." She once again pulled her hand from his grasp and crossed her arms over her chest, closing herself off.

"I won't give up, Olivia." His tone was final as he turned in his chair to give his attention to the movie that had all but been forgotten during their interaction. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for some time, both appearing to watch the movie that was playing. At the start of the end credits, Olivia turned to Fitz.

"When will my brother be here?"

"He never said." His brisk tone caused her to shrink in her bed. After the year she had had, she didn't do well with any tone or statement that she could construe as offensive.

"Fitz, I'm not ruling us out for good. Just for now. Until I figure myself out."

"Let me help you do that." He twisted in his seat to look at her, his blue eyes imploring her to agree to his request.

"You can. I'm not saying that I don't want you here. I just want to make sure that I am in a healthy place in my life before starting something." Her own eyes begged him to understand what she was trying to say; to respect her one request.

"I'll wait for you. I will always wait for you."

"Thank you."

"Anais wants to visit you."

"I don't want to see her. I don't want to see any of them." Her tone was so final that even Fitz felt a pang of pain for her best friends – why wouldn't she see them? They had been close in high school. Wherever one went, the other followed. Fitz remembered how difficult it had been to get Olivia to himself back then. What changed?

"I'll tell her you need time." He wouldn't tell her that Olivia had flat out refused to see her. That would break her heart – especially after the sacrifices she had made to find Olivia.

"Thanks," she smiled, picking at her cuticles. She glanced at Fitz's phone, tilting her head to the side as she did so. He noticed where her attention had gone and laughed.

"You can play on it if you want."

"Have the apps gotten any better in the last year?" She asked, grabbing the black phone in her hand and hitting the power button, staring at the image that greeted her on the lockscreen. A picture of her from graduation greeted her eyes. She scrunched her face, trying to figure out where that smiling, carefree girl had gone.

"Temple Run is an addicting one," he answered, choosing to ignore the look she had given his phone.

"Temple Run?" She asked, finally sliding her finger across the screen.

"It's…here I'll show you." Fitz grabbed the iPhone from her hands and quickly found the app he was looking for. He tapped it once and waited for the app to fill the screen before handing it over. They sat in comfortable silence as Olivia played the game.

"Fitz?" She waited until he turned and gave her his full attention. "What's the point?"

"To get the highest score."

"So…it never ends?"

"No."

"I thought you said the apps had gotten better."

"No…I said that I _liked_ that one."

"You have bad taste."

"Yet I chose you." He gave her a cheeky smile and winked.

"Hold on there, mister. You aren't allowed to render any and all future comebacks of mine moot." She shook her head in mock annoyment as she exited out of the app and began scrolling for another. Finally, she shook her head and handed it back to Fitz.

"Bored?" He laughed, pocketing the slim device.

"There's nothing fun to do," she complained, yanking the remote off the stand by her bed and turning to flip through channels. She went through several channels before stopping at _Jeopardy!_

"The redhead in the middle wins," Fitz commented, ducking when Olivia turned to glare at him.

"I could have found that out on my own," she scoffed, turning her attention back to the television.

The two settled into a near domestic camaraderie as they watched the show. They each randomly called out the answers to the questions they knew, sometimes shouting over one another. They were both glued to the screen as the finally _Jeopardy!_ question was displayed:

"You better not tell nobody but God begins this 1982 novel whose film version garnered 11 Oscar nominations."

" _The Godfather?"_ Fitz guessed.

"It's _The Color Purple_ ," Olivia stated with absolute conviction. Fitz shook his head and was rewarded with a playful slap on the arm. The two watched as the final answer was revealed – proving that Olivia had been correct.

"Okay, Miss Smarty pants." The two turned at the unfamiliar voice to find a man of average height leaning against the door frame.

"Olivier?" Olivia was slightly apprehensive as she said her brother's name, not knowing where this was going.


	4. Things Have Changed

**A/N: Ellie – Just because I haven't written explicitly Olivia's withdrawal symptoms, doesn't mean they aren't there. In the first chapter, it is mentioned that she has gone a while without consuming any drug and has already felt the symptoms of withdrawal. Because she hasn't been heavily using prior to her hospitalization, her withdrawal symptoms are not going to be as intense had she been using more frequently. (If you recall, this is because she's having trouble finding 'work' because it is Christmas time). You also need to remember that everyone's bodies respond to opiates in different ways – even had she been using frequently; she still may not have intense withdrawal symptoms. As for them acting happy and as if nothing has happened, and anyone familiar with addicts or the medical field can tell you, for the first few weeks, you aren't supposed to mention the drugs or therapy to patients. You're supposed to allow them to choose any light activity they want to do and rest as they wish. Only after this critical period should any mention of therapy or the addiction itself be made. As someone who has studied substance abuse quite intensely in college, I can promise you that the approach in this hospital setting to Olivia's situation is accurate. I can also promise that if you came wishing to read an in depth description of rehab for Olivia, that will not happen as I have no intention of spending time writing about her days in a rehab center – there will be a time jump.**

 **Guest – The answer to your question about the cops is in this chapter. Basically, though, if there is no evidence of foul play, the police will not remain involved in a missing persons case.**

 **Thank you all for your reviews! Next chapter, there will be answers as to what led Olivia to this point. – G. xx**

 _ **Class A**_

 _ **Chapter Four**_

 _ **Things Have Changed**_

"Olivia." Her name tumbled off his lips, sounding like a reverent prayer. Olivier stood in the door, transfixed by the sight of his _slightly_ older sister laying before him on a hospital bed. She looked small and pale.

"Hi Olivier." Her voice was soft, coming out in a whisper. He began walking toward her bed, stopping at the side and bringing his hand up gently to grasp hers.

"I can't believe it's really you." His voice cracked and he had tears in his eyes. She averted her gaze, unwilling to watch her little brother break down.

"It's really me." She gave him a small, shaky smile as she played with a loose strand of fabric on the blanket she had. She was waiting with bated breath for the yelling to begin. It seemed like everyone had tiptoed around it since she had been hospitalized. She knew better than to assume that Olivier would. He wasn't typically the type for screaming, but she had put the family through a lot.

"Are you okay?" He finally allowed a few tears to drip down his face as he moved forward to envelope her in a loving embrace. After a moment's hesitation, Olivia timidly lifted her own arms to return Olivier's hug.

Fitz watched, awkwardly, as the two siblings cried while holding one another. He stood from his seat and glanced at his watch. It was almost three in the afternoon.

"I'm going to go get some food while you two catch up. Any requests?" he offered, heading toward the door.

"Anything beats the hospital food they've been trying to feed me," Olivia quipped, releasing Olivier and looking at Fitz.

"I'll eat anything but green stuff." Olivier's answer was typical and Fitz found himself chuckling.

"I'll be back in a few." Fitz hurried from the hospital and away from the two siblings.

Olivier took a seat in Fitz's now vacated chair and sat staring at Olivia. She began fidgeting once more, uncomfortable with being watched.

"I'm not going to bug you about where you've been and what you've been doing –"

"That's probably a good thing. I'm sure Fitz, my nurses, and my doctor would jump down your throat if you did," she noticed the look of confusion he wore and decided to add, "we're not supposed to talk about those things right now."

"What?"

"Doctor's orders. I'm sure Fitz will fill you end. Basically, I'm supposed to be all happy and carefree right now." The sarcasm in her tone and the sneer on her face was enough to tell Olivier exactly what she thought of those orders. Still, he didn't push.

"You'll tell me when _you_ feel comfortable. Just…" He paused, clearing his throat before continuing, knowing after what she had said that he probably shouldn't, "Promise me you won't run away like that again."

"I don't know, Olivier. You never know what life will throw at you. I didn't expect to be in this situation a year ago. I can't make any promises."

He nodded at her statement and looked at the floor, taking a few moments to think about what he was going to say next. "What's going to happen when they release you?"

As she said, "Fitz said that he and Anais spent every weekend looking for me…"

"We tried to get the cops involved. We did for about a month. But there wasn't evidence of foul play. They decided you had disappeared on your own and there was nothing they could do. It sucked – we didn't accept that answer, didn't _want_ to accept that answer. Now, though, I'm a little relieved the cops weren't involved. I don't want to think of what you'd be going through right now if they had been."

She shrugged. It was a valid answer and she _had_ disappeared of her own will. There really was nothing the cops could do. "Mandatory rehab."

She made a face as she said those words, answering Olivier's previous question. She didn't want to go to rehab and they hadn't mentioned it to her, yet, but she wasn't stupid. She knew it was coming. Even if she hadn't been as bad as most addicts they had seen, a conversation she had overheard between her nurses the previous night, she was still an addict.

"Sounds like fun," Olivier laughed, noticing Olivia's dismayed expression. Olivia laughed along with Olivier for a few moments, not sure why she was laughing but finding that it felt good to do so.

"What happens after rehab?" Olivia's laughter trailed off as she looked toward the wall, staring at the faded white. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, hugging herself. She would be lying if she said she hadn't thought of what was next. She had. She wasn't sure if what she was thinking was the right answer – and it certainly didn't help her feel any less guilty, but she needed to _try_.

"I don't know. I _think_ I want to at least try to get back into college. I want to finish and get a job." She turned her head to look at her brother, trying to decipher the look on his face.

"You could try getting in to Middlebury. Dad could put in a word," Olivier suggested, watching as his sister began shaking her head.

"I can't go back to Middlebury, Olivier. Too many bad memories." She shuddered at the thought of returning to the town that had been a prominent part of her childhood…and the scene of the most traumatic experiences she had ever gone through.

"Dad probably won't let you stay, sis." Olivia's head shot up at Olivier's comment. She scrunched her face as she began speaking:

"I'm twenty. He can't force me to go back." Olivier sighed at the validity of her response. Their father couldn't make her return to Middlebury, but there would be a fight about it. That's how most things ended with their family anymore. Ever since Eli and Maya's divorce, and Olivia's bullying in high school, the family bond had been non-existent.

"I still have to call them." Olivia shrugged. She had come to accept that her parents would be called and would, naturally, want to see her. There was nothing she could do to stop it regardless of how much she wished she could burrow in a hole and only come out once they were gone.

"Then call them." If she sounded indifferent, it was because she really was. Mentally, she felt that she was prepared to deal with the train wreck that was her parents.

"How about I do it after we eat? I don't want to ruin anyone's appetite," he winked, trying to gain another laugh from his sister.

"Why? So then it's hanging over our heads like a dark cloud? Just get it over with," she snapped, finally letting the stress of the last week get to her. Olivier looked taken aback at her sudden change in mood and stood from his chair, fishing in his pocket for his phone.

"I'll go call them, then. Maybe you should take a nap." He walked away from his sister and headed toward the exit.

Olivia groaned and flopped back against her pillows, the familiar pounding in her head returning. The headaches were common – her doctor had explained them as a side effect of her insomnia. He had said it was her mind's way of screaming for sleep. She had almost gotten used to the headaches. She yanked her blankets to her chin and turned on her side, closing her eyes and quietly humming herself to sleep.

* * *

Olivier stood outside the hospital, shivering in the blistery cold wind and asking himself for the umpteenth time why he had left warm, sunny Hawaii for New York. He knew the answer was easy, laying on the third floor in a lumpy hospital bed, but he still asked, anyway. He put a hand in his pocket as he dialed his mother's number. Maya would be the easiest to deal with though he expected a lot of crying.

"Hello, Olivier-Christophe," his mother greeted on the first ring. He shook his head at her greeting. He wasn't fond of his name and most people assumed Olivier was it. He let them think that.

"Hey mom."

"Where are you? Don't tell me you're spending winter break with friends! We barely saw you over Christmas." Maya had become clingy with her one remaining child since Olivia had disappeared and Olivier found it to be stifling sometimes.

"I'm in New York." Olivier waited for his mother's next remarks. New York had become almost synonymous with evil and heartbreak for his mother since she had lost her daughter in the large, overcrowded city.

"Why would you be in _that_ place?" The fear and loathing in his mother's voice was unmistakable…and expected.

"Mom, are you sitting down?" He waited for her to reply that she was indeed sitting before he continued, "Olivia is in a hospital here. She overdosed and when she was brought here, they called me."

He intentionally left out any and all information pertaining to Fitz. He didn't feel like fighting over him at the moment.

"My little girl?" Maya's voice was barely a whisper; she was shocked.

"Yes." Their conversation continued for a few more minutes. Olivier supplied Maya with all additional information she needed to find Olivia once she arrived in New York which would be the following day. He had felt relieved when Maya promised to call Eli and deliver the news herself. That was on ticking time bomb Olivier wouldn't have to deal with.

"Is Olivia taking a nap?" Olivier turned at the sound of Fitz's voice to see him carrying three separate bags of food.

"Yeah. What did you do? Buy up the whole place?" Olivier gestured toward the bags in Fitz's hands.

"Your sister is picky and if you're like me, you won't eat what she does, either," Fitz laughed, looking toward the building, trying to signal to Olivier that they should move out of the cold.

"I called my mom," his tone was nonchalant as he shoved his phone into his pocket and took a bag from Fitz, "I'll help you carry these upstairs."

"Thanks." Fitz and Olivier moved into the hospital and toward the elevator, deciding to forego the stairs. When they had entered the elevator and were waiting to be carried to the third floor, Fitz began speaking, "How did your mom take it?"

"She cried. You know, the normal reaction to finding out that your lost daughter is fine. In a hospital, but fine," Olivier shrugged. He didn't want to talk much about it and he hoped that Fitz would drop the subject.

"How much does she know about how Olivia came here?" Fitz stared straight ahead as he continued his interrogation.

"I didn't give her any details and she didn't ask. She was just happy to hear that I knew where Olivia was." Fitz nodded, he understood why Olivier hadn't gone into detail.

"Have her doctors spoken to you?"

"No."

"They don't want any mention of what she's gone through or the drugs. Not now, at least, and they want her environment to be as relaxing and carefree as we can make it."

"Dad's probably going to get kicked out of the hospital." Fitz shrugged at Olivier's statement – no doubt he was right.

The two men completed the rest of their elevator ride in silence. Fitz was once again preoccupied with how Olivia's parents would react when they once again saw him near their daughter. It wouldn't surprise him if they had both come to the conclusion by this time that he was forever out of their lives. In truth, he had thought they were out of his as well.

Olivier's train of thought was similar to Fitz's. He, too, wondered how his parents would react to seeing his sister with her ex-boyfriend. He knew that Fitz and Olivia were not longer together, but he couldn't deny the way his sister's eyes had lit up as she and Fitz teased one another while watching television. He didn't doubt that it would be too much longer before Fitz and Olivia were once more an item.

Olivier knew that his father and mother didn't care for Fitz and believed they had every right to be upset over how their relationship had started, in secrecy after Olivia had been asked to date closer to her age, but felt that that was something that should be left in the past. It was over and as far as Olivier could tell, Fitz had never harmed Olivia. Not intentionally, anyway. Olivier could only hope that his father didn't overreact, especially not after Fitz had practically saved Olivia's life. He had been the one to bring Olivia to the hospital after all.

Fitz rapped his knuckles against the door before shoving it open and entering to find Olivia struggling to sit up, her dark hair sticking straight up in places. He chuckled at her appearance as he carried his two bags to the tiny table that sat in front of the window.

"What did you get me?" Olivia's mouth was already watering at the thought, and smell, of food.

" _You_ got wild mushroom and vegetable fricassee. I also picked up some of this." Fitz pulled the container of humus and baby carrots from the bag. Olivia's eyes lit up when she saw what was in his hands and she made an eager grab for the food.

"Chill, sis." Olivier handed her the container as he put his bag on the table. Olivia didn't bother acknowledging him as she tore the lid off and happily began munching. Olivier shook his head and turned to Fitz, watching as he dug the rest of the food from the bags. There were meatball subs for the guys and a couple of sodas.

The trio happily dug into their food. Olivier couldn't help but to watch Olivia and Fitz as they ate. He had chosen to eat at the table while Fitz had chosen to sit by Olivia, using the edge of her bed as a makeshift table. Occasionally, Olivia would get something on her chin and Fitz would wipe it off. They took turns sharing their food with one another – Fitz had scrunched his face at the taste of humus and declared that he would never be eating it again. Olivia, meanwhile, had informed him that he had no taste. There was no doubt in Olivier's mind that it wouldn't be long before the couple was once more a couple.

"Thanks for this, Fitz," Olivier called in between bites. The sub was quickly becoming his new favorite food.

"No problem." Fitz shrugged it off, not taking his eyes from the beautiful young woman who sat in front of him.

"I've never seen you eat this much," Olivier commented, watching in awe at the amount of food his sister was consuming.

"This is the first real food I've had in a while. Hospital food doesn't count." To Olivia, that was the most logical response in the world as she continued downing her food.

"Need something to drink?" Fitz held his bottle of soda toward her. Olivia gladly accepted the liquid and took a quick sip before finishing her meal. She glanced at the clock that hung on the opposite wall.

"You know you two have to leave in five minutes." She sounded slightly disappointed. She would miss their company. She had forgotten how good it felt to be with friends.

"I know," Fitz sighed, his melancholy showing through. "Where are you staying, tonight?"

"I don't know, yet," Olivier answered, helping Fitz throw away their trash.

"You're welcome to stay with me. I don't have a bed to offer, but I do have a couch."

"Thanks, man." Olivier tossed Olivia's food containers in the trash for her.

The two men said their goodbyes before leaving the hospital with promises to return the next day. They rode in relative silence to Fitz's apartment. They had never spent much time together and as such, had nothing to bond over.

Anais was busy talking on the phone and eating a turtle sundae when the men walked in. Olivier turned to give Fitz a questioning glance. He didn't understand why his sister's friend would be in Fitz's house unless his parents had been correct and Fitz really was a sick man.

"She's a friend. We were both looking for Olivia and we made promises to keep each other informed. She kind of took over my apartment when she found out about Olivia." Fitz kicked his shoes off and Olivier did the same before following him to the small kitchen.

"Hi, Olivier," Anais greeted, finishing her sundae and placing her bowl in the sink before heading toward the guest room, her phone still glued to her ear.

"Don't take it personally. She's probably talking to Justine. No one else exists when those two are together." Fitz headed toward his refrigerator and threw the stainless steel door open, producing two bottles of Bud Light before slamming it shut.

"Olivia used to be the same with you. I think she would have been like that tonight, too, if you hadn't put food in front of her face." Olivier accepted the brown bottle from Fitz and twisted the cap, tossing it onto the counter.

"We're friends. She has a long way to go to recover." Fitz placed his opened bottle on the counter and grabbed Olivier's cap along with his, tossing them in the trashcan that sat just off the kitchen in the laundry room.

"She said she was wanting to go back to school after she gets done with rehab."

"I told her I can try to help her get into another college around here. I'm not sure how successful that venture will be with her record, but it's something she wants to do." Fitz dragged one of the barstools to the other side of the island so he was sitting across from Olivier.

"Is she going to stay with you?" Olivier had been itching to ask that question all afternoon. He knew without a doubt that Olivia wouldn't return home. He couldn't live with either of his parents again and he would never expect her to endure that either.

"We discussed it. She's going to stay with me until she gets a job and she's back on her feet. I'm not sure I would be comfortable with her living in a dorm after what happened."

"Yeah. Not a wise idea."

The two quietly finished their beers, unsure of how to continue their conversations. Finally, Olivier broke the silence by asking to be shown to a shower. Fitz obliged and took Olivier to the bathroom off the hallway; the one that he and Anais would have to share.

"Thanks again, Fitz," Olivier said as he stood in the doorway of the modern bathroom.

"No problem. I'm going to turn in. You think you'll be okay?"

"I may not have been the Justine Florence of Middlebury, but I think I can find a couch."

"In case you need help, it's the rectangular, grey thing that way." He pointed a finger toward the living room and laughed when Olivier flipped him off.

"Fuck you, man," Olivier laughed, heading into the bathroom and slamming the door.

 **The Next Day**

"Olivia!" She turned to the door at the high, shrill sound of her mother's voice while smiling and cringing at the same time. Her mother's kind, forgiving face was a much welcomed sight, but her father's cold, unblinking stare made her blood turn to ice in her veins.

"Hi mom." She offered a weak smile and hesitantly wrapped her arms around her mother to return her embrace.

"Olivia." Her father's voice was tight, clipped as he slowly walked toward her bedside.

"Dad." She acknowledged him with one, short word. She was silently praying that Olivier would show up soon. He was running late. It was almost one and he had promised he would be there after he woke up to help offset the barrage of parental anger that was sure to occur.

"Why?" He sat heavily in the vacant chair by her bedside and she smirked when she thought of Fitz sitting there the day before.

"Leave her alone, Eli." Maya jumped to her daughter's defense, always eager to stop her ex-husband from pushing Olivia too hard.

"Like I told Olivier, I'm not ready to talk about that." Eli's ice cold glare bore into his daughter. Maya cleared her throat and rapidly moved her gaze from Olivia to Eli, willing him to remain quiet.

"When will they release you?" Maya slowly and gingerly perched herself on the corner of the hard mattress, reaching for Olivia's tiny hand.

"Tomorrow. Then I have to go to rehab."

"Alright. We'll find a place close to home." Eli's voice seemed to come out of nowhere and Olivia whipped her head to the side to study him. She took a deep, shaky breath.

"I'm going to Aware in Brooklyn," she announced, picking at an invisible thread on her sheet and finding it hard to meet her father's gaze.

"What made you decide that?" This time it was Maya who spoke up, her brow tensed as she watched Olivia intently.

"I asked my doctor where he would recommend and his staff made the arrangements for me," she paused for another deep breath, "I'm not leaving New York."

"What do you mean you aren't leaving New York?" Eli repeated, as if that would show Olivia just how ridiculous this notion was.

"I'm staying here. New York is my home now. There's nothing left for me in Middlebury and, honestly, going back would hinder any improvements I make."

"Honey, we want to help you. Middlebury is the best place for that." At least Maya was trying to reason.

Olivia gave her mother the most genuine smile that she could muster before launching into her reasoning for avoiding her hometown:

"I'm not going into details, but you and dad have picked up enough to know that something happened when I was in high school. I'm not going back to that…"

"Olivia, I know when we cornered you then you wouldn't answer, but is someone forcing you to do things? Forcing you to stay here?" Eli's eyes blazed with those questions.

"No. I want to stay here because it's free of all the bad memories that Middlebury holds. I'm not the same person I was before I left and the person I am now can never go back to _**that**_." She shuddered, shaking her head at the thought of ever returning to that town.

"How are you going to stay here, Olivia? I will not be footing the bill for this one. Have you thought about any of this?" Eli blurted, standing from his chair and pacing in front of the bed, his hand making quick work of his thinning hair.

"I have a friend that offered a place to stay and help me get back on my feet." She purposely left out any mention of gender or name.

"Which friend?" Maya prodded and Olivia sighed – she hadn't expected to get the third degree from her mother.

"It isn't one of my friends from the streets if that is what you are wondering. I've known this person for a while and I'm thankful they are willing to do this for me. That's all you need to know and it's all you're getting." She crossed her arms over her chest, stubbornly.

Maya and Eli exchanged a look, unsure of what to do with this version of their daughter. She wasn't the pliable girl that they had grown used to in Middlebury. This Olivia was forceful, undaunted. This was an Olivia that had experienced all the bad the world had to offer and had adapted to it.

"I'm not going to endorse this decision. When it doesn't work out, don't expect me to come sweeping in to bail you out of it. You find your own way back to Middlebury and I will deal with it there." Eli didn't spare a second glance as he stormed out of the room, barely avoiding Olivier on his way out the door.

"I take it you told him you're staying with F…" Olivier clamped his mouth shut when he saw Maya sitting by Olivia, who was shooting him the sternest look he had seen in a while.

"You're staying with Justine?" Olivia sighed as Olivier took a seat in Eli's vacated chair. Of course her mother would automatically assume Olivier was speaking about Justine – her nickname had been Flo in high school, as awful as that was.

"No…Justine is still in Massachusetts. It wouldn't be possible."

"Then wh…" Maya's face went from that of a questioning mother to that of an enlightened, shocked parent within the fraction of a second.

"Look mom, I already feel like I have lost dad. At least for the moment. I don't want to lose you, too. So if this is going to cause a problem, I don't want to speak about it. We'll pretend it was never mentioned."

"Olivia…no yelling, I promise, but how? Why?" Maya looked flustered as she grasped for words, trying to understand how that man had managed to waltz back into her daughter's life.

"The night that I ended up…the guys I was with took me toward the hospital and when they saw someone wearing a suit coming out of the Catholic school, they decided to leave me with them so they wouldn't have to answer any questions about how I had gotten the drugs I had taken," she paused, sucking in air and clamping her hands shut, trying to stop the shaking.

"Fitz was the one that they handed me off to. You know that I don't believe in fate, but…there was something more than mortal coincidence about _**him**_ being the one that I was handed off to. He brought me here, stayed with me, kept me company, helped me through the worst of it that first week. He called Olivier even though he thought Olivier would punch him again.

"He promised to help me get back on my feet. After rehab, he's going to help me find a job so I can move into my own place and he's going to try to help me back into school."

"It sounds like Fitz is already playing his cards right."

"Mom…"

"Olivier, it wasn't meant to be disrespectful. Fitz is doing more than has been asked of him."

"Can we not talk about it anymore, mom?"

"Are you nervous about rehab?" Maya willingly changed the topic for her daughter's sake.

"I'm not supposed to talk about that, either, but…no. It's the right thing to do now. I _**need**_ to do this." Olivia slid down on the mattress, pulling her blankets to her chin and shivering against the cool air.

"We'll be here to support you. Olivier and I." Olivia nodded, smiling to herself.

 **Four Months Later**

Olivia stood outside on the grey concrete, watching as the cars whisked by – shining in the morning sunlight. Four months in rehabilitation and she felt much better. Much like the old Olivia that she had tried to distance herself from.

She tapped her foot against the sidewalk, picking at the loose strand on her black sweatpants. The air was warmer than it had been when she was first admitted in January and she was soon shedding the black jacket in favor of the baggy, white t-shirt underneath.

"Ready?" She jumped at the sound of Fitz's voice coming from behind her and turned with a bright smile on her face.

"Yep." She added extra emphasis on the 'p' as she slung her knapsack over her shoulder and followed Fitz down the street, in the direction he had just come from.

"Sorry, I was late. I guess it's a good thing you didn't need me to sign out. I cleaned out the guest room."

"You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did. It looked like a fifteen year old nerd's safe haven," he chuckled, stealing a glance at her. Her hair had grown until it just barely touched the top of her shoulders. She had gained some weight, too, and no longer looked like a gust of wind might knock her down.

"I might have enjoyed that. Was there Dungeons and Dragons?" She joked, her eyes sparkling when she turned her brown gaze to him, careful to avoid a hot dog someone had dropped on the grey stone.

"Possibly. There may still be."

"So what you're saying is: there's going to be a Dungeons and Dragons game tonight?"

"That's a strong possibility." The two burst into laughter, causing several passersby to look in their direction. A few had bemused expressions while the majority were annoyed that someone had disrupted their morning commutes with laughter.

"Is this all you have?" Fitz questioned, gesturing toward the clothes Olivia was wearing and the small bag on her back.

"It's enough," she shrugged, refusing to meet his gaze.

"What? Two outfits at most?"

"It's enough," she repeated, intent on focusing on the ground in front of her.

"No. It isn't. After you get settled in, we're going shopping."

"Fitz, I don't have any money."

"Don't worry about it. I told you I was going to help get you back on your feet and that's what I'm doing."

Olivia sighed and followed him in silence for the next four blocks. There was no arguing with Fitz once he had set his mind on something.


	5. Second Chance

_**Class A**_

 _ **Chapter Five:**_

 _ **Second Chance**_

 **New York City; May, 2013 -**

"What do you want for breakfast?" Fitz's voice carried to the far recess of the apartment where Olivia was just coming out of the guest room. He turned around, his voice catching in his throat when he noticed that Olivia only had a towel wrapped around her body, the white cotton contrasting well with her dark skin.

"Um...what do you usually have?" she asked, raking her fingers through her wet hair that hung in knots to her shoulders. She liked that it had grown, but she still missed the length it was before.

"Bacon and eggs. Scrambled though. I still haven't figured out how to fry an egg," he chuckled, shrugging sheepishly and trying to avoid staring for too long at the alluring figure before him. She didn't make it easy.

"Sounds good. This is kind of awkward, but do you have a brush I could use? She finally dropped her hands from her hair.

"Yeah. There's a comb in my bathroom. Help yourself." He turned to the stove and began moving about, pulling out frying pans. She watched for a moment or two before turning around and entering his bathroom. She found his comb by the sink and quickly began running it through her wet tendrils. When she was done with that, she used her finger and the toothpaste by the faucet to brush her teeth. She wrapped her towel tighter around her petite frame and scurried out of the bathroom; making a beeline for her bedroom before Fitz had a chance to turn around and catch her in the nearly too small towel once again.

Inside her room, she took survey of all the shopping bags heaped on the floor in front of the small window. There were several - more than she needed. She had begged Fitz to stop after the first three outfits that he had bought her, but he insisted that she need at least a complete wardrobe for a week's time. They ended up with enough for the whole month - twenty-two shopping bags in total.

She grabbed the closest bag to her, a Victoria's Secret bag. She smirked as she remembered how Fitz had reacted to walking into the store with her. He was embarrassed, but so was she. He had instructed her to pick out whatever she needed and underwear was on the list. Being in a mall, he had guided her to the logical place and when she refused to enter alone, his credit card in her pocket, he was forced to follow in.

She chose a pink thong set, another thing that had turned Fitz's face a lovely shade of red, and slipped it over her body before digging for a pair of jeans and a loose, white shirt. She hadn't felt the urge to dress like she did in the old days for quite some time now. She slipped her new Converse on and ran a hand through her thick, dark locks - tousling them even further.

When she entered the kitchen, Fitz had two steaming plates setting at the island and gestured for Olivia to take a seat on one of the two stools. She slid onto the wooden seat and watched as Fitz poured two glasses of orange juice, sliding them toward their plates.

"This is good," she complimented around a mouthful of egg.

"Have you had any thoughts about a job?" He ignored her compliment, uncomfortable with it. He wasn't the kind of person who sought out praise.

"I figure retail is about all I'm going to get a shot at for now." She lowered her gaze to her plate, her tone remorseful. She would be willing to do almost anything else but stand in a store and deal with troublesome customers all day. Almost willing to return to her old life; the one that included Demetrius and Aaron. She remembered that she needed to get in touch with them and see how they were. She hadn't abandoned their friendship and, although Fitz couldn't see it, she understood why they had abandoned her to him. It was how the street was.

"If you're interested, I can get you a job as a librarian in Westwood," he offered.

"New Jersey?"

"It's about an hour from here. Not too bad and it beats retail." He finally let some emotion show on his face as a smug smirk filtered across his lips.

"I think I still like books," she grinned, melting to the idea as quickly as a marshmallow at a campfire, "Can we go see it today?"

"Finish your food and we can."

"Alright, _dad_." And she rolled her eyes.

* * *

"I think you turn right here," Olivia announced, wrinkling her nose and staring at the phone she held in her hands. Fitz had never been to Westwood's library before, having only heard about the job through a co-worker, and had given Olivia full control over the GPS on his phone. So far, she had managed to cause them to miss two turns and he was beginning to regret his decision.

"Are you sure?" He turned his sunglass-covered eyes toward her, raising the corner of his lips and waiting for her response.

"I'm sure." She sounded confident, holding the phone out for him to see. Fitz shrugged and eased the car into the turning lane, making the right that Olivia had instructed him to take and rolled to a halt in front of an old, brick building. She was out of the car before Fitz had time to unbuckle his seatbelt. He laughed as he slid out of his car and followed her eager, bouncing frame up the cracked concrete steps. He held the door open for her and followed her into the cool, well lit building.

"Hello, can I help you?" The friendly, wrinkled face peered at them from behind the computer monitor. Her large, red rimmed glasses hung around her neck by a green, beaded string.

"Hi, um…" Olivia's voice betrayed her. She was scared. This was only one of many steps she would have to take to be accepted back into society and she found it terrifying.

"We were wondering if we could get an application for the librarian position," Fitz spoke up, narrowing his eyes in Olivia's direction as he tried to piece together her sudden shyness.

"How lovely! I haven't had a single person inquire about the position and I was beginning to wonder if any would by the time I retire in July," she beamed, digging around in one of the desk drawers and producing a single sheet of paper that she passed to Fitz.

"Do you have a pen?" he inquired, taking the one she offered and giving it to Olivia. She placed the application on the counter and started to fill it out, stopping to stare at the line that asked for a phone number.

"Fitz? What's your phone number?" Fitz looked over at her in surprise, only then remembering that he had not followed through with his plan to get her a phone. He added it to his list of things to do on their way back to the city along with stopping to buy her some basic toiletries.

"347-555-0489," he rattled off, watching as she wrote it down. It didn't take her much longer to finish her application, handing it back over to the old woman.

"Thank you! Would you like a tour?" she offered, all too ready to assist her _only_ prospect of a replacement.

"Yes, please," Olivia's voice was barely above a whisper and the older woman had to strain to hear. The tour took less than an hour to complete. The building was rather small, but it had recently been upgraded. The walls were stacked from top to bottom with various books and there was a reading section for younger children. Olivia found that she already loved the place.

"Do you think you'll like it there?" Fitz asked as they were pulling back onto the highway.

"I love it." Her eyes were shining brightly and a huge grin covered her face, "I hope I get the job."

"I think you will," Fitz said with certainty, keeping his eyes on the road. "We're going to stop and stock up on some things for you."

"You don't have to." Fitz sighed. Not this battle again. Olivia was adamant that he not buy anything for her, but he couldn't let her go without. Whatever it was that they had going on, he couldn't do that to her.

"You need those things, Olivia. I'm also getting you a phone and before you protest - you're going to need it, trust me."

Olivia sighed and folded her arms under chest, staring out the window at the passing traffic. Arguing with Fitz was becoming increasingly frustrating. The most frustrating part of her was that she still was unsure of what to make of their relationship. It felt too easy to fall into that old rhythm with Fitz, but the part of her that had hated and berated what she had become knew that she couldn't go back to how it was.

"I like this one," Olivia announced, holding up an older flip-phone. Fitz shook his head. She was not making this easy on him. So far she had refused to even glance at the smartphones - wanting to find something that was cheap.

"Olivia, if you do not put that down…" Fitz warned, breathing a sigh of relief when she finally put the phone back in its place and turned to look at him.

"I don't want you spending a lot of money," she huffed, staring him down. She was determined to get her way. Unfortunately for her, so was Fitz.

"It's my money and if I want to spend it, I will," he argued, keeping his tone level, "I want you to have a phone that you will be able to _use._ "

"I can _use_ a flip-phone just fine." She narrowed her gaze and shook her head, tossing her hair.

"Not efficiently. You're getting a smartphone." She huffed, annoyed at his insistence and headed to the other side of the store. Without looking, she pointed silently to the iPhone display. Fitz shook his head and called for a salesman. He made the purchase as quickly as possible and carried it out to the car behind a sullen Olivia. In the vehicle, he handed the phone to Olivia before starting the car and buckling in. He watched Olivia out of the corner of his eye as he backed up. She was staring at the phone, but not touching it.

"It won't hurt you," he told her, easing back onto the highway. She glared at him, remaining tight lipped.

The ride home was long and silent.

"Olivia!" Fitz banged his open hand against the wooden door, having given up all attempts of twisting the brass doorknob. The loud thumping of the stereo from inside the bedroom drowned out any and all attempts at getting the petite woman's attention. Sighing in frustration, Fitz raked his hands through his hair before stomping toward the utility closet off his laundry room. Slamming the door open, he rummaged for a screwdriver - triumphantly heading back down the hall and to Olivia's room once he found one.

Fitz, unsteady with the screwdriver, clumsily loosened the screws around the doorknob until he was able to pull the device from the door. He put his hands to the solid surface and gave a tiny shove, narrowing his eyes when the door failed to budge. Kneeling to peep through the hole made by the missing device, Fitz peered into the room, sighing when he saw the top of the dark, walnut dresser pressed against the door.

"Olivia, I will tear down this door if I have to," he threatened, standing from his position and waiting for a response with his head against the door. The thumping from the other side only grew louder in response. Fitz groaned and knocked his head against the door before turning his screwdriver on the hinge at the top of the door, placing the tip into the screw. He had made one short turn of the screw before the door swung open and bounced off his shoulder. Peering around the edge, he saw Olivia, sans makeup with hair matted and unwashed, glaring at him - her arms crossed under her chest. She looked pointedly at the screwdriver dangling from his right hand, her eyes hardening at the sight.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded, her voice cracking on the last syllable and turning into a mousy shriek.

"I could ask you the same." Fitz's voice remained level, betraying no emotion. He watched as Olivia continued to glare at him, holding his gaze before flouncing back into her room. Fitz followed her, taking in a deep breath and a lungful of the pungent smell lingering in the air.

"Are you smoking weed in here?" He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"So what?" Her insolent response caught Fitz off guard and he stood with his mouth flapping like a fish out of water. This new Olivia was a far cry from the girl he remembered.

"Olivia, I'm not going to lecture you on the reasons why you shouldn't be doing this. I think you already know why you shouldn't. The girl I know would at least have a reason for doing something so fucking stupid." She bowed her head and wrapped her arms around her tiny frame as if protecting herself from his low spoken, hateful words.

"You don't know what I've been through." She spoke around the lump in her throat, her voice quivering with unshed tears.

"Then _tell_ me. I will never know if you continue this...this erratic behavior. I can't help you unless you let me, Olivia." He ran a hand over his face, slumping against the wall - exhausted by the unexpected early morning fight with his former girlfriend. Olivia wiped at the tears on her cheeks, but to no avail. The harder she wiped, the more tears that fell. She sighed and plopped herself on the edge of the soft mattress, bowing her head. The two stayed like that, unmoving and unspeaking until the sound of Fitz's phone ringing interrupted their moment of silence.

Fitz sighed in frustration before pulling the device from his pocket and glaring at the caller i.d. Sliding his finger across the screen, he growled into the phone, "What do you want?"

"Why hello sunshine. May I ask who rained on your parade?" Mellie's cheerful voice did nothing to ease Fitz's anger at the interruption.

"You."

"Ouch. That hurt," Mellie chuckled, refusing to allow Fitz's bad mood to affect her. "Where are you? School starts in ten minutes."

Fitz's eyes widened at the realization that it was Monday. Dealing with Olivia had caused him to forget about work. Dealing with Olivia caused him to forget about the outside world _most_ of the time. Pulling the phone from his ear, he pressed the mute button before letting loose a string of curses:

"Fuck fuck fuck. How the hell did I forget about work?"

Olivia raised her head at the sound of Fitz's many expletives and watched as he banged his head against the wall before raising his phone back to his ear.

"I'm sick, Mel. I won't be in."

"You don't sound sick." Mellie's voice sounded accusatory.

"Mellie, you're supposed to be my friend. Tell them I'm sick."

"It's her isn't it?"

"Mellie," Fitz began, his tone warning Mellie to back off.

"Look, Fitz, I'll tell them you're sick because you're my friend, but once is it. I'm not going to continue giving excuses for her." Mellie didn't wait for a response, choosing to end the call quickly after spitting out her sentence.

"You aren't going to work?" Olivia's hopeful tone caught Fitz off guard for the second time that day. He nodded his response and slid his phone back into the pocket of his grey sweats.

"Sit?" she offered, patting the space beside her on the mattress. Fitz glanced up hesitantly before making his way to her side, slowly lowering his body weight to the soft bed.

"Fitz...why is this harder than I thought it would be?" She gave a nervous laugh, glancing up into his blue eyes as her sight blurred with more tears. "I loved college at first. It was new and different. It was an escape from…"

"You don't have to say it."

"No, I can." She wiped at more tears. "At first, it was an escape from what happened in Middlebury. From all that bullying stuff. They stopped sending messages when I went to college. I thought it was over."

"It wasn't?" Fitz questioned, fury already building in his eyes at the thought that someone had begun to threaten her again.

"No," she admitted in a small voice. "I made new friends. My roommate became my _best_ friend. She was this quirky combination of Anais and Justine. We went to a party one night before midterms. I'd invited her to Middlebury with me and she was the kind who could find a party even when she didn't know anyone. She got drunk. I got drunk. I ended up driving us home...I didn't find out until later that someone had laced my drink…"

"What?"

"I wrecked, Fitz. I _killed_ her. A few of our friends we'd made at the party got to the crash before the cops did. There wasn't anything we could do for her, but for me...they staged it so the cops would think she had been driving. It was all a lie. A month after that happened, I got a text. It was from a blocked number - threatening to go to the cops with the truth. I started doing drugs to escape the constant torture and guilt."

Tears began to fall harder and faster as Olivia finished her story. Fitz wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him and letting her rest her head against his chest.

'I killed her. Me."

"Shh. It was an accident, Olivia." Fitz stroked her hair, making humming noises as he attempted to soothe her. Olivia allowed herself to be lulled into a semi-tranquil state by the rhythm of Fitz's beating heart. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier with each passing second until she could barely hold her eyes open any longer. Moments later, she was quietly snoring as she fell into dreamland.

Fitz gently laid her back against her pillows and pulled the blanket over her before heading back to the kitchen and his laptop that sat on the island. He poured himself a cup of coffee and pulled a barstool up to the computer, booting it up and beginning his long afternoon full of Google and newspaper websites.

 **A/N – What did you guys think? You now know what drove Olivia to do the things she did, minus the gory details. What do you think Fitz will do about this revelation and who do you think is threatening Olivia with telling the police? – G. xx**


	6. Fix You

_**A/N**_ _ **– For anyone wondering, St. Thomas More is a school name that I decided to use in this story – it isn't an actual school in NYC and it has no association with the church of the same name. I'm trying to get back in the groove of writing with this story, so this chapter is a little shorter than normal. Thank you for reading! – G.**_

 _ **Class A**_

 _ **Chapter Six:**_

 _ **Fix You**_

 **New York City; May, 2013**

It was late. The clock on the counter flashed _1:21_ , but still Fitz pushed himself to continue staring at the screen of his laptop. He had to be at work in six hours, but he didn't care. The news article in front of him was more important. Moving his mouse to the top of the screen, he clicked on 'file' and quickly found what he was looking for. Pressing print, he stood from his chair and walked across the room to the printer. The quiet hum filled the room as papers began piling one after another. The article was relatively short, but the comments were printing as well. Taking the small stack, Fitz headed back to the table, retrieving a highlighter along the way.

The details of the crash Olivia had been involved in were very little. The police seemed to have thought it was an open and shut case. All the articles that Fitz had come across mentioned that Teagan Maxwell had been driving and that friends had been at the scene, attempting to perform CPR, as emergency personnel arrived. Teagan had been found in a field on the side of the highway. She hadn't been wearing her seatbelt. Olivia had suffered minor bruises and scraps and had been conscious enough to try and help her friends revive Teagan. All of Olivia's friends at the scene had given statements that Teagan had been driving. All but one.

Sitting at the small table, Fitz reached for his reading glasses and popped them on, flipping through the comments that he had printed. He was hoping to find any mention of the one friend who had refused to give a statement saying Olivia had been driving. The article had brushed that small detail off and, obviously, the police hadn't believed the friend. That didn't shock Fitz – from what Olivia had said and what he had just read, there had been several witnesses who had supposedly seen Teagan get in the driver's seat at the party. Most of the comments he went through were simple 'get well' messages. Of course everyone in Middlebury knew Olivia and had believed the story her friends had weaved for the police. He furrowed his brows, skipping through several pages.

Not a single person mentioned the friend who had insisted that Olivia had been driving. Fitz thought that was weird. Just like any other small town, there had to have been rumors going around and a few questions asked. Everyone there would have known the whole story. Secrets didn't exist in places like that. Rubbing his eyes, he stood and stretched – he would have to be up in four hours.

The next morning, Fitz overslept. If it hadn't been for Olivia's annoyed calls from the other side of the door, he would have continued to sleep right through his alarm and his first class. He dressed in a hurry, not realizing until he had already entered St. Thomas More that he was wearing two different colored socks. His silent prayer that no one would notice was soon dashed as Mellie came to his side.

"Forget to do laundry?" She nodded her head toward his misshapen socks – one dark blue and one black.

"I was in a hurry this morning," he shrugged, taking a swig of his coffee. He may have been in a hurry, but he had at least gotten breakfast and a steaming cup of coffee. Olivia had been apologetic for her behavior the previous day and had fixed him breakfast. She'd even packed his lunch. He had plans to call her at lunch and make sure she was okay – his mom had invited her to her law office for the day.

"Let me guess, something happened with Olivia." Mellie's tone was accusatory and she rolled her eyes as the words left her mouth. Fitz sighed – his friend's disdain for Olivia was getting out of hand.

"Look Mellie, Olivia is part of my life. She is the only woman I have ever loved. Either you get on board with that or you can find a new friend." With that said, he lengthened his strides, allowing his long legs to carry him away from Mellie and to his classroom. He needed some space from her.

His morning flew by as he immersed himself in teaching. This week he was discussing poetry with his classes. He wasn't his favorite subject and he by no means considered himself a poet which only meant he had to work twice as hard. At least it took his mind off the unknown state of his friendship with Mellie. By lunch time, he was starving and with relief, he grabbed his lunch from the mini-fridge behind his desk and headed toward the staff dining room. Mellie entered the room as he was popping his risotto into the microwave. She didn't say a word as she sat at the table behind him. The beeping of the microwave rang loudly in the tiny room – normally they would be chatting while they waited for their food to heat.

Awkwardly, Fitz took his food and sat across from Mellie. He avoided her piercing stare as he dug into his food. He didn't know when Olivia had had time to cook. It must have been sometime after he'd gone to bed. He wouldn't be surprised if she'd woken up early enough – she had slept almost the entire day after her meltdown. Either way, he thought she was spoiling him by packing his lunch.

"I really don't get you right now, Fitz." Mellie's voice broke the silence and she finally turned her gaze from him, moving her gaze to her salad and picking at it with her fork. Fitz rolled his eyes, swallowing his food before answering.

"I'm taking care of Olivia. Nothing has _gotten_ into me, Mellie. What's gotten into you? You used to like her and you've never acted so nasty toward anyone." Now it was his turn to level Mellie with an accusatory stare. She _had_ liked Olivia the first time they had dated and he really didn't understand what had suddenly changed Mellie's heart. There had to have been more than the way his relationship with Olivia had ended for her to be upset. Her attitude didn't make any sense at all.

"She hurt you, Fitz. I've told you this. I don't see the need in rehashing it and you, of all people, should remember what state she left you in when she decided to be selfish and – "

"Mellie, you know absolutely _nothing_ about what Olivia has been through. Don't point fingers." He took a sip of his water, washing his food down and giving Mellie a chance to reply.

"It's just…of all the chances you've had to be with someone more…more suited to you and less childish, you always choose her. It's ridiculous." With that said, Mellie stood from the table, threw her food in the trash and hastily left the room. Fitz watched the door long after she had gone, his brows furrowed in concentration. Had Mellie just admitted she had feelings for him?

* * *

 **Olivia** was having a good day with Fitz's mom. Annalise, as she had instructed Olivia to call her, was smart, charming, and warm. She had the same twinkling blue eyes as her son. The resemblance was uncanny. Olivia didn't know much about Fitz's dad – he had passed before she'd even met Fitz, but she could tell from the way Annalise mentioned him that he had been a good man. So far, she had spent the day following Annalise from court case to court case. Fitz hadn't wanted her to stay at his apartment alone – not after her meltdown yesterday. She was happy to play by Fitz's rules for once. She knew she had gone one step too far when she'd brought that weed into his apartment, so she hadn't put up a single fight when Annalise had shown up on Fitz's doorstep, announcing that she would be taking Olivia to work with her.

"I was so excited when Fitz told me that I would finally be getting to meet you today," Annalise grinned over their lunch. Olivia had first protested when Annalise had led her to Le Bernardin for lunch. She had never been in the establishment, but she knew it was pricey. Annalise had ignored her protests, though and shocked Olivia when she had somehow managed to get in without having made a reservation. Come to find out, she had represented the chef in a nasty lawsuit a few years ago.

"Yeah. It's crazy, isn't it? All these years and we're just now meeting." Olivia eyed the oysters on her plate cautiously. She had never had raw oysters and she wasn't entirely sure that she found the sight of them to be appeasing. Swallowing, she reached for the tiny fork by her plate.

"I wanted so much for Fitz to move to New York with me, but he was adamant that he needed to stay in Middlebury and finish high school. Now, I guess I know why." Annalise winked, moving her fork to her mouth and chewing her fish.

"I'm glad he decided to stay." Olivia glanced between her fork and the oysters. She really had no clue how she was supposed to eat those things.

"I'm glad you're back in his life. I haven't seen him this happy in such a long time," Annalise smiled, "Slide your fork into the opening and make sure the oyster is detached from the shell before you eat it."

Olivia nodded, feeling grateful for Annalise's directions. Doing as she had been told, Olivia lifted the shell to her lips and slurped, swallowing the oyster before coughing quietly into her hand. Annalise gave a knowing smile at the reaction.

"Next time, chew before you swallow, dear." Olivia had known from Fitz's descriptions of his mom, and from her own observations shortly after meeting her, that Annalise was very much a socialite. She was happy, though, that Fitz's mother had turned out to be so much like him that she was kind and gave explanations instead of snide remarks when Olivia made a mistake in her world.

Trying the oyster the way Annalise had suggested, Olivia found that she enjoyed the taste. She was still slightly uneasy eating something that had been served raw, but she was sure she could get used to it. She glanced at the stainless steel Tiffany watch that Annalise had given her, the diamonds blinking brilliantly under the lighting. She had another two hours before she would see Fitz. She missed him – _that_ much she was willing to admit. She wasn't quite certain she could ever thank him for the amount of help he had given her.

After lunch, Olivia found herself walking down a crowded sidewalk beside Annalise, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. Annalise was busy speaking on her phone. Olivia had caught enough of the conversation to know that she was discussing the opening of something. Finally, after a couple blocks, Annalise ended the call and took a long, drawn out sip of her coffee.

"Are you and Fitz going to attend Maddelyn's art exhibition?"

"Maddelyn?" Olivia tilted her head, trying to conjure any hidden thoughts she may potentially have about that name. She was almost certain she didn't know anyone named Maddelyn. Annalise let out a disappointed sigh.

"He hasn't mentioned her to you?" Olivia shook her head, a thousand thoughts running through her mind and the coffee she had been drinking suddenly settling uneasily in her stomach. Who was Maddelyn? Why wouldn't Fitz have mentioned her to Olivia? Did he have some girlfriend she didn't know about? Olivia had made it clear to him many times that she didn't want a relationship at the moment, but that didn't mean that didn't want one at some point in the future. She still had feelings for him after all.

"I think we need to talk," Annalise stated, reaching the door to her building and holding it open, allowing Olivia to enter before her. It was obvious she wasn't going to have the discussion on the street.

* * *

 **The rest of Fitz's day** went rather smoothly. He and Mellie made a point of avoiding one another, averting their gazes every time they happened to meet in the halls. He was still a little shocked at the thought that Mellie had potentially admitted that she loved him. There was a time that he had thought it was possible, but then she had gotten married. As far as he knew, everything in her marriage was great.

After flinging his coat on, Fitz grabbed his briefcase and headed out of his classroom. He tried to push all thoughts of Mellie from his head – he didn't feel _**that**_ way about Mellie. He never had. His heart had been Olivia's since day one. As he turned to lock his classroom door, he felt eyes on his back. Turning the key, he listened for the sound of the lock clicking before he pulled the key out and put it back in his pocket. As he twirled around, he noticed Mellie standing in the doorway of her classroom, watching him. He nodded politely and headed toward the exit. He didn't have the energy to continue their argument.

He beat Olivia back to the apartment. He had planned on picking her up at his mother's office, but she had offered to drop her off instead. He hoped the two women were getting along. After changing into a pair of sweatpants and a shirt, he grabbed a quick snack from the refrigerator and sat at the table, flipping through his printed papers from the night before. He had hoped that he had missed something, but after a half-hour of rereading, he was certain that he hadn't. He decided his best bet was to try and find the friends that had been at the crash scene. They would have the information he needed.

It was nearly six before Annalise showed up with Olivia. Fitz knew from the moment Olivia entered the apartment that something was wrong. She walked through the door with a purpose, a determined glint in her eyes. Even he was willing to admit that he was a little scared when she stopped in front of him, putting her hands on her hips and demanding:

"I thought we were going to be one-hundred percent honest with each other?"


	7. Bad Blood

_**Class A**_

 _ **Chapter Seven:**_

 _ **Bad Blood**_

" _I thought we were going to be one-hundred percent honest with each other?"_ Fitz turned around, abandoning the spinach-stuffed chicken he was in the process of making and glanced from his mother to Olivia. Annalise shrugged her shoulders, giving her son a: "You deserve everything you're about to get" look. That confused Fitz. What could his mother have possibly told Olivia that set her off like that?

"When were you planning on telling me about Maddelyn?" That shocked him. Of all the things going through his mind, he wasn't expecting _that_ name to come out of Olivia's mouth. His mom folded her arms across her chest, giving him a smug look. Fitz groaned internally. His mom could be as happy as she wanted to be about her hand in this argument – he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of playing into it.

"Who?" He tilted his side, acting like the name was new to him. As far as he was concerned, it was.

"You know – gorgeous brunette, about average height. Kickass artist." Fitz sighed. So his mother had told Olivia about Maddelyn and had either introduced the two or shown her photos. He didn't like the thought of either scenario. Maddelyn was someone he wanted to keep buried in his past – he wasn't sure he was capable of stringing two polite words about the woman together in a sentence let alone giving the type of glowing review Olivia had just given.

"I don't know a Maddelyn." He barely shrugged, turning back to the kitchen counter. As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over. He and Maddelyn had decided years ago to pretend like neither one existed and he wasn't sure why his mother would even bring her up to Olivia. There wasn't any reason.

"We were together how long and you never once thought it was important to mention that you have a _sister_?" Sighing in frustration, he slammed the knife in his hand on the counter and spun around. Olivia took a step backward at the fiery glint she saw in his eyes – he was not happy.

" _Had_ a sister. That bitch is not my sister." He squared his shoulders, tearing his eyes from Olivia's and turning back around. This time he was almost willing to bet the conversation was over. Resuming the work in front of him, he cordially called to his mother, "Are you staying for dinner?"

"I don't believe so," Annalise responded coolly. "Olivia, dear, the invitation still stands if you can convince him to attend."

Olivia nodded at that, saying her goodbyes to Annalise before the older woman left. Fitz scrunched his brows – invitation? What invitation? He took his time prepping their food, ignoring Olivia's agitated sighs as she settled onto the sofa and turned the television on. After he had finally slid the dish into the oven, he made his way to the sofa and sat beside Liv.

"What invitation?" He was willing to admit that he was curious.

"Your sister's art show." She said it quietly, barely looking at him. It made him feel like an ass. He had overreacted a little earlier, but he'd been so _shocked_ that she had said his sister's name and then…then she had pushed the topic. Just _hearing_ Maddelyn's name brought all the bad feelings between the two to the surface.

"Mom invited you?" He tried to keep his voice low. He didn't want to scare her again or upset her. That's not something he wanted to happen in his home. She needed a safe haven.

"She invited _us._ " He nodded, falling silent and staring at the television. She had muted it earlier when he'd first started talking and now they were watching as a zombie soundlessly began chomping on some poor chump. "I was so, so _pissed_ at you when your mom mentioned her name."

"Just because I didn't tell you I have a sister?" He turned to give her a questioning stare. That didn't make sense to him. Her anger over this was a little more intense than he imagined it should be.

"Not because you have a sister. Because I thought you had a girlfriend you hadn't told me about." He tilted his head to the side at her admission. Why was she concerned about his relationship status? Unless…

"Olivia…"

"I still have feelings for you, okay?" She looked at him from under lashes, almost as if she were embarrassed by what she was saying. Fitz felt like his heart would beat out of his chest at any moment. Had she really just admitted to having feelings for him? His reaction to Olivia's admission was like night and day when compared to his reaction of Mellie's words from earlier. Whereas Mellie's words had felt like a bucket of ice being dumped over his head, Olivia's felt like life was being breathed back into his body. Her words felt like coming home at the end of a long day. They felt _right_.

"I do, too," he breathed, cautiously lifting a hand to her cheek, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. He tried not to grin too much when she tilted her head, allowing her cheek to rest in the palm of his hand.

"I want this."

"So do I –"

"Then promise me, now, that you won't hold anything else from me…"

"I prom …"

"And that you will go to your sister's art show." He groaned at that. Of course she would take this moment to try and get what she wanted. He sighed.

"I'll go, but I'm not promising any heartfelt reunion." He stood from the sofa as the timer on the oven began beeping. Olivia twisted on the sofa, watching his retreating back as he entered the kitchen.

"Fitz…" She called, exasperation seeping into her voice.

"That's all you're getting from me, Liv," he answered, pulling an oven mitt onto his hand and opening the oven door. "Things between Maddelyn and I can't be fixed so easily."

He put the food on the counter as Olivia entered the kitchen, heading toward the cabinets and pulling two plates out. She placed the plates on the counter, watching Fitz shovel food onto their plates. Grabbing forks, they headed for the table, Olivia tilting her head at the plate.

"No vegetables?"

"There're vegetables in the chicken."

"That doesn't count," Olivia laughed, digging into her food. As they were finishing their food, Olivia looked up shyly at Fitz and asked, "What happened between you and your sister?"

Laying his fork on his now empty plate, Fitz bowed his head and sighed. "Maddie and I … grew apart."

"There has to be more than that," Olivia protested as Fitz stood from the table, carrying his plate and Olivia's to the kitchen. She followed him, watching as he silently washed the dishes. The silence that filled the kitchen lasted for so long that Olivia had turned around and was heading back toward her room when his voice stopped her.

"She's a few years older than me. When mom decided to move to New York, she moved with her. I always resented that. We were close before that. It was hard to separate us and Maddie always felt more like a friend than a sister. When she moved to New York and didn't call or visit – mom had to practically force her back to Middlebury for holidays, I felt like she abandoned me.

Sometimes, we let wounds fester until there's no clear way of fixing them and that's exactly what Maddie and I did. We started blaming each other for everything. Even things that we knew the other didn't have anything to do with. We allowed ourselves to become so alienated that we couldn't even recognize one another anymore. We're basically two strangers who happen to share the same parents."

Olivia let her feet carry her across the small room and she flung her arms around his waist, burying her face in his back. She clung to him, trying to convey her feelings of sympathy through that one hug. He had sounded so broken when he'd made that speech – his voice cracking halfway through. They stood like that for a moment before he moved his hands to hers, gently tugging them free of his body. Turning around, she noticed the tears that had fallen from his eyes and swiped at them, standing on the tips of her toes so she could reach.

"She invited you, you know? That's what brought her name up. She called your mom and asked her to invite you." He cleared his throat as she said that and she smiled at the sight of him attempting to compose himself. He didn't like to cry in front of her.

"This means I'll have to wear a tux," he groaned. She giggled – at least he was being playful about it now.

"I need a dress."

"We'll go shopping tomorrow. When is this show?"

"Saturday." Fitz nodded at that, drying his hands. He glanced at the clock; he was determined to get to bed at a decent time. He didn't want to fight his alarm clock in the morning.

"So…About what I said earlier…" She looked up at him from under her long lashes, her voice trailing as she struggled to find words.

"Yeah?" He had stopped in front of the entrance to the kitchen. She was still leaning against the doorframe, her petite frame blocking him from leaving the small room.

"I really do want to try again."

"Me, too," he responded, rooted to the spot in front of her. He didn't know if he should move closer or not and he didn't want to ruin the moment by making the wrong decision.

"I promise I'll try to do better this time."

"We'll figure it out together."

"Fitz?"

"Yeah?"

"I still love you." He met her gaze as she said that, a smile flitting across his lips.

"I _never_ stopped loving you."

* * *

"Have a good day at work." Olivia handed Fitz his lunch, yawning as she did so. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Her excitement at telling Fitz how she felt kept her awake. She had still set her alarm so she would be up by the time he woke. She liked the idea of fixing him breakfast and having his lunch ready.

"We'll go shopping after."

"I can take a cab and meet you at your school when you get off."

"Are you sure?" He tilted his head, not wanting to agree to the suggestion, but knowing that he was going to have to show her some trust. When she nodded, he continued, "Okay. There's some money on the counter. I'll see you then."

"Okay." He turned toward the door, putting his hand on the knob. "Oh, and Fitz?"

He turned around just in time for her to place her hands on his shoulders, lift herself slightly, and place a chaste kiss on his lips. He allowed a smile to play across his face as he said his goodbyes again and left.

His day was excruciatingly slow as he waited for the final bell to ring. He avoided Mellie like the plague – he really didn't have time to think about what she had told him the previous day and, truth be told, he didn't care. He had thought they had burned that bridge a long time ago – both have stated that they felt any kind of romantic relationship between them was wrong. They had grown up together. Mellie had always been just another one of the guys. And she _knew_ how he felt about Olivia. To blindside him the way she had at lunch was just plain dirty.

By the time the last bell rang, Fitz had already been packed and ready to go for quite some time. He'd allowed his last class to take a few minutes before the bell rang and begin their homework while he busied himself packing his briefcase. He had jumped from his seat and quickly shooed his students from his room as the day ended, locking his door behind him. He had ignored Mellie's attempts to draw him into a conversation and had bolted for the front door.

Outside, he found Olivia sitting on a metal bench, reading. He smiled at the sight – she was deeply entrenched in her book. He took in her attire. She was wearing black leggings and one of his band shirts. She looked good in the Bon Jovi shirt and part of him took pride at the sight of her in his clothing. Reaching the bench, he gently tapped her shoulder, chuckling lightly when she jumped. Focusing on him, she narrowed her eyes.

"You could have given me a heart attack," she pouted.

"I'm sorry, Livvie. Are you ready?"

"Yes," she giggled, tucking her book away into her back and standing from her seat. She placed her arm in Fitz's and allowed him to lead her to the curb where he hailed a taxi.

Dress shopping was a fairly painless ordeal. Olivia had been insistent on finding one as quickly as possible. She didn't like to shop. She had picked a pastel grey, see-through floral dress and black heels to match. Fitz had even bought a new button down to match her dress. Both were more than happy when they had finally arrived home, their purchases in hand.

* * *

"Mom talked like you weren't coming." Fitz turned to look at his older sister. Maddelyn hadn't aged much.

"She went over my head and convinced Olivia to talk me into it," Fitz mumbled, nodding in the direction of Olivia. She was standing a few feet away from the two, observing a painting with Annalise.

"Olivia?" Maddelyn inquired, looking in the direction that Fitz had just pointed.

"My girlfriend."

"Mom hadn't mentioned that you have a girlfriend."

"She didn't mention that you're married."

"What?"

"The ring." He nodded toward the platinum, diamond wedding band on his sister's finger – the lighting catching the diamonds and glinting off them.

"Right." She took a moment to sip the drink in her hand before taking a deep breath and speaking, "So, how have you been?"

"Good."

"That's great."

Awkward silence fell between the two once more, causing Maddelyn to sigh. Fitz wasn't forthcoming with the conversation and kept glancing in Olivia's direction.

"Can I meet her?" The question seemed to take him by surprise, but he quickly regained his composure, nodding at Maddelyn's ring and asking:

"Can I meet him?"

" _She_ isn't here. She had to work." That surprised Fitz. Last time he had spoken to Maddelyn, she had had a boyfriend. She'd never mentioned being into girls.

"Don't look so surprised." The light teasing in her tone drew him out of his musings and he narrowed his eyes in her direction. Yet another thing that she hadn't told him. Another reminder of how out of touch the two truly were.

"Hm," was all he could manage without exploding and bringing up every problem from their past. He wouldn't do that. Not here. He couldn't ruin her show.

"You're angry I didn't tell you." It wasn't a question and he wasn't sure how he felt about the statement. He had thought they were past the stage of reading each other's emotions. "For what it's worth, I didn't know until a couple years ago. I had a bad breakup and she asked me out. One thing led to another and here we are. I'm happy."

"That's all that matters," he mumbled, raising his cup to his lips.

"I wanted to tell you, but you weren't exactly speaking to me at the time."

"You could have tried, Maddie. You'd have been surprised where making an effort would have taken you." He sat his cup on the table and walked away, stuffing his hands in his pockets.


End file.
